His Daughter
by Hermione-Hermyown
Summary: Long ago Tom fell in love with a beautiful young woman. Out of their love came the birth of a daughter that Tom, now known as Lord Voldemort, didn't want. Afraid of loosing her daughter the woman left her at an orphanage hoping for her safty.
1. Her Secret Admirer

Chapter 1 – Her Secret Admirer

**Okay, this is me deciding that Tom Marvolo Riddle must have had a soft side and therefore if he did he must have liked someone at his age. Don't ask, the idea is strange, but I'm giving a shot at it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, except the ones I created and the idea…**

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It was a chilly Christmas day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but the boy hardly noticed it at all. He was hardly touching his food, as he stared at the girl whose long blond hair fell around her body gracefully. She was laughing with her friends, who were all enjoying their lunch; she glanced over at the boy then quickly looked away. The boy sat up straight, she had looked straight at him. Now she was getting up and coming over to… O_h no, please don't come over here_, the boy thought desperately as she came right over to him.

"Hello, Tom," the girl said sitting down at his table and smiling brightly, "you look pretty lonely over here all on your own."

"Hi Vanessa," Tom said shocked that he was talking to her.

"Can you actually believe it's our last Christmas here Tom?" Vanessa asked making herself comfortable.

"Nope, kind of shocking, really," Tom replied wide eyed while thinking, _dang, why does she have to be in Ravenclaw? Actually, why does she have to be so dang beautiful?_

"Yeah," Vanessa said, looking back at her friends who were all giggling.

_Keep your mouth shut Tom_, Tom thought trying not to blurt out his secret crush on her, _you're stronger then what you give yourself credit for. Besides, we all know you're the best wizard here. You're smart, and therefore if you're smart you should be able to keep your mouth shu…_

"Vanessa, I think I love you," Tom blurted out, his logical side mentally kicking him.

Vanessa stared at him, "what?"

"Okay, fine I don't think I love you. I know I love you," Tom said desperately.

Vanessa looked at him stunned, her blue eyes locking with his. Tom wished that he hadn't said anything now that she wasn't saying anything. Her friends seemed to have noticed that something was up because they had all gone silent all their eyes fixed on him. Vanessa finally broke her contact with him and looked down at the empty plate in front of her, her cheeks turning pink.

"To be honest, Tom, I love you too," she whispered.

"You do?" Tom asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Vanessa said looking up at Tom, "you know, you have a hard time keep things secret when you're sending me unsigned messages from the same owl… It wasn't that hard to figure out you liked me."

"Was it that obvious?" Tom asked his eyes boring into hers.

"Just a little," Vanessa said smiling leaning forward, "so, are you trying to say you want to be with me?"

Tom nodded mutely _I've dreamed and fantasized this for so long_. He cleared his voice, "let's go for a walk."

"Okay," Vanessa said her eyes lighting up.

Together they stood up and walked out into the Great Hall, keeping silent all the while. They made their way outside into the snow and walked around the edge lake making small conversations every now and then. As the hours slowly crept by they were soon both laughing and playing around, tossing snowballs at each other. Pretty soon the wind was blowing so hard that their faces began to numb up so they ran back inside hand in hand. Vanessa shook her head, swinging drops of water everywhere from her blond, dripping wet, locks.

"Wow," that was the coolest snowball fight I've ever had," Tom panted watching Vanessa ring out her hair.

"Yeah," she smiled, "that was pretty intense."

They laughed as the two of them locked eyes again and then suddenly their lips met. Vanessa pulled away quickly smiling while her eyes contained shock and surprise. Tom blushed but was soon surprised by Vanessa kissing him back. He put his arms around her and she entwined her hands into his hair. For several long minutes they kissed until finally they stopped to stare into each others eyes.

"Tom," Vanessa whispered, "it's getting late, I'd better get to bed."

"Right… really late… got it," Tom said in a daze.

Vanessa giggled and pulled out of Tom's hold. She bit her lip and said, "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow Tom." With that she turned and ran up the marble staircase leaving Tom confused as he stood there watching her disappear.

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**So, how was it? Bad, good, forget it, or continue? Let me know.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	2. Change Changes Everything

Chapter 2 – Change Changes Everything

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Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing.

Vanessa wiped at the tears as she stared down on her sleeping child in her arms. She couldn't handle this, but she had to do it, she just had to. Everything had changed since she had fallen in love, eloped, and then had her only daughter. She closed her eyes and recalled all the most obvious signs that should have given everything away.

_She had been walking in Diagon Alley on a bright sunny day. Her golden blonde hair was shining as she walked into a bookstore that was her personal favorite. Inside were several Hogwarts students looking for book, but she ignored them and walked around the counter and put down her bag and got ready for work. Quickly she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and took her place behind the counter with another witch. Her friend winked at her as her shift began._

_Everything was working out fine, until he walked in. At first she didn't recognize him but as she stared at the young man the familiar face cropped out at her. She gasped, finished helping a customer, and ran to him. Without thinking she threw her arms around the man's neck and held him close. She couldn't help it, Vanessa let out a dry sob as she felt his arms lift up to hold her close as well._

"_Tom," she whispered into his shoulder, "I can't believe it's you."_

"_Yeah, Vanessa, I can't believe it's you either," Tom replied in a gasp._

_Vanessa let go and stepped back to examine him. She almost let her jaw drop as she saw that the color of his eyes had changed, and his nose seemed to be flatter somehow. Vanessa felt herself bite her lip and smile awkwardly. "Tom," she said, taking half a step away from him, "you've…you've changed."_

"_Well, I couldn't really fill everything out in letters," he laughed, looking away from her._

"_I suppose not," Vanessa felt herself shudder, "why Tom? Why didn't you ever come see me?"_

"_I've been busy Vanessa," Tom said, definitely not meeting her eyes that time._

"_Well, I just… I feel like I hardly know you anymore."_

_Tom bit his lip, "we've been writing letters, I still know you and I came in here partly to see you."_

"_Really," Vanessa asked stunned._

"_Yeah," Tom said going red, "I want to get married. I've been thinking about it and I want to. Please marry me."_

_Vanessa let her jaw drop this time as she starred at him. She had never felt so happy and yet so nervous. She recalled her parents saying they didn't approve of Tom very much but at the same time she wanted to run off with him. Vanessa bit her lip then slowly nodded and said, "yes, Tom; lets do it. Let's get married right now!"_

_Tom twirled her around and then offered her his hand. Without even considering the fact that she was still working Vanessa ran out of the store with Tom._

Vanessa wiped at her tears. Several years had passed but now she had finally drawn up the courage to run for it. It felt wrong, but she couldn't stand being married to the man that was destroying the world. The baby cried in her arms and she quickly cuddled the babe, humming softly the lullaby she had sung to her child since the day she was born. Her life would be much safer somewhere else, somewhere so Voldemort (for that was what everyone called him now) couldn't find her. If her young one stayed with her and Voldemort found her then her child would die as well. Carefully she got up, put on a warm cloak, and walked out of her empty house with her baby.

She was numb but what kept her going was the words Tom had said when he found out they were having a baby. _"I can't believe you'd want to have a baby and keep it. We'll have one of my death eaters kill it or something, just keep it out of my sight."_ Tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked faster the wind whistling in her ears. He wanted to kill her sweet little angel and she wouldn't stand for that. The many times she had wanted to leave, begged to be able to leave and now she was finally setting herself free.

She looked down at the little face in her arms as she stopped in front of the building she had been heading for. A little sign in the front yard read: Orphanage. The building was, to be blunt, old and looked as if it should just be torn down but Vanessa knew better. She ran a gentle hand up and down her daughters cheek then ran up to the door, placed her baby down with two sealed letters and knocked. Without looking back she ran until she was out of the light. Vanessa turned to watch someone open the door, pick up the bundle that was her child and go back inside. She let the tears roll down her cheeks before turning on the spot and apparating back to her home.

So, how was it? Please leave a Review!


	3. The Girl Who Talks To Snakes

Chapter 3 – The Girl Who Talks To Snakes

**Oh my goodness I got a review! It's a miracle! Um… Unfortunately I don't know how to answer the question PhoenixGryfindor. I'm not sure what you mean by the girl so could you explain what you meant? I'm sorry that I'm so confused and it's probably just me not understanding the question. Anyway on to the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I am only going to say that I claim the characters that are not in the books (you'll know who they are).**

The old orphanage hadn't changed much in the past eight years; the windows still looked like they were about to fall off, the door was crooked, and the graying planks of wood that the house was built out of just looked like a health inspector should have closed the place down months ago. The wooden fence surrounding the place was broken in several places due to storms, stray dogs, and a couple of the children messing around. Despite these horrible factors for an orphanage it was still running. In fact, shrill voices could be heard from the backyard at that very moment.

"Well then, Jonny, I bet you can't get close to that snake even if you tried."

"I bet I could!" Jonny shouted and took a step closer.

The boys laughed watching the sandy haired boy move an inch closer to the small snake curled up in the grass.

"Watch out it's going to bite you Jonny," one of the boys called and Jonny came tearing back to the group.

The boys laughed heartily as Jonny looked back at the snake which hadn't moved at all. In fact, the only way it had moved was to blink its small little eyes at the youngsters. Jonny stamped his foot angrily and cried, "it's not funny you guys!"

Some of the girls were watching them curiously from a distance and one of them rolled her eyes deliberately, "ugh, boys are so annoying."

"Yeah," the small cluster of girls nodded.

"I bet I could touch it," one of the girls muttered under her breath.

"Ewe, you want to touch that scaly monster?" the girls shrieked in dismay.

The girl looked up with a skeptical look. She had black hair that fell to her waist, beautiful blue eyes, pale skin, and was exceptionally skinny. Although she was hanging out with the girls today she normally spent her time running around with the guys in the place. The young girl smiled and said, "I'm younger then most of you and I'm not scared of a harmless snake."

With that she got up and marched over to the boys. Several of the boys greeted her as she made her way over to her usual friends. "Hey Jacob, Winston, what are you up to?"

"We're just trying to see who can get closest to the snake," Winston said excitedly as he watched a dark haired boy attempt to get close to it.

"Who's gotten the closest so far?" The girl asked slyly.

"Um, I think it was Brendon," Jacob said with baited breath, "are you thinking of trying, Zatora?"

"Haha, trying is an understatement," Zatora laughed shaking out her black hair and rolling up her sleeves as the dark haired boy ran back to the group. "Watch and learn from the master," and she walked right over to the snake bent down and touched its scaly head.

The boys and the girls all gasped in shock and amazement. Zatora merely sat down in front of the snake and continued to stroke it and whispered, "hey Freddy, what are you doing out here? I thought I told you to stay in the box upstairs?"

"And miss a good sun bath?" the snake said. "Besides, my skin is so itchy when I'm shedding, you know that."

"I know, but I think it would be better to not sit in the middle of the backyard," Zatora said, scratching Freddy on the top of the head. "You're going to get me into big trouble one of these days because they find a snake slithering out of the room I'm in."

"I'm sorry," Freddy hissed, "I'll try to find a better place to sun bathe. Well, I'll see you tonight then." Zatora gave the snake a final scratch before it slithered away.

Zatora got up and brushed the dirt off her pants when a sudden shout came from behind her. She spun around and stood looking up innocently at the woman in charge of the orphanage. The woman had a strict feel about her but at the moment she seemed to look like she was going to either faint or explode as she watched the small snake slither noiselessly away. Zatora grinned but quickly stopped as this seemed to make the matter worse.

"Zatora, what do you think you were doing?" the woman gasped out.

"I'm sorry Miss Harshwish, the boys were messing around and I said I knew I'd be able to touch the small thing. I'm not hurt," Zatora said quickly before Harshwish could open her mouth.

"I don't care, snakes, and any other pets for that matter, are not allowed in the orphanage," Miss Harshwish snapped, "and you look like a mess sitting in the dirt, to top it off there are people here who want to see you and the rest of the children so all of you get moving inside."

The children moved quickly to the door, all of them anxious to get inside before they could be yelled at. Zatora hung her head sadly and walked around Miss Harshwish to join the rest of the children thronging into the sitting room where the families were waiting. Most of the children were lining up, some of them looking hopefully at the adults who had shown up. She quietly took her place in line and waited for Miss Harshwish to come in and say that the adults could begin.

"I'm so terribly sorry that that took so long. The children were playing another wild game," Miss Harshwish said coolly, throwing a disapproving look at Zatora, "you are all welcome to talk to the children in the line now."

Zatora looked up and smiled as best she could as the adults began to come to the children. Some of them went over to Miss Harshwish, unsure which child they should talk to. Zatora knew for a fact that any of the parents to be talking to Miss Harshwish wouldn't be introduced to her. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if she was chosen and Miss Harshwish would refuse to give her up because of her shameful display in the backyard. Zatora held back a giggle as she imagined Freddy's annoyance at the fact that he had almost caused the old hag to explode and yet she hadn't.

The time passed slowly as the parents began to select the special ones they liked. Zatora heaved a sigh as she watched girl after girl get chosen except her. When all the adults were confident about whom they were taking home the rest of the children were allowed to leave. It was around dinner time so she joined Winston and Jacob on the way out to the eating hall.

"What a nightmare," Winston said hopelessly taking an empty seat, "my shirt was on backwards and I hadn't noticed until one of the adults passed me and said, 'son, your shirt is on backwards, do you make that mistake often?'. Ugh, why doesn't he try getting dressed in the dark, we're all woken up so early anyway it's sometimes hard to tell which is the front side and which is the back."

"Don't worry too much, at least Miss Harshwish wasn't giving you dirty looks every five seconds," Zatora said gently, smiling at Winston.

"You've got to be kidding me, just because of that snake," Jacob laughed, "if only she had exploded, she was so close too."

"I know," Zatora laughed taking a large bite of spaghetti, "it would have done us all a favor."

Winston nodded, "man, if only our parents were still with us so we didn't have to put up with her."

Zatora looked away at this; it hadn't been the first time everyone had wished that. Zatora knew, for a fact, that her mother hadn't died before giving her away. In fact, the owner before Miss Harshwish had told her that. She had talked to them all and when she had met Zatora she had given her the letter that had been found with her on the doorstep. Concentrating on her food she thought about the letter telling the orphanage that it was for the baby's best interests that she were to be here and placed in a loving family. How she had read the lines over and over: please remind her that I truly loved her with all my heart. I didn't want her to suffer with me and suddenly loose me. This is the only way she can be safe and I trust that no one will ever be able to find and harm her here. Sincerely yours, Vanessa Nimwater.

Winston and Jacob were laughing happily about the snake again but Zatora just couldn't bring herself to feel happy anymore. Slowly she got up from the table, said good night to her friends, and went to her room. It was dark inside but she could hear the sobbing from some of the girls who were either loosing a friend or having to stay. She went to her bed in the farthest corner and sat down on it. Carefully she looked around before pulling out the box that Freddy lived in. Freddy looked at her then whispered, "no one wanted to adopt you?"

Zatora shook her head before letting the tears come. Freddy slithered out of his box to curl up on her pillow as Zatora sobbed into it. How she wanted to leave more then anyone else, how she wanted to get away from this horrible place. Freddy moved in closer and stayed with her for the rest of the night. Eventually she stopped crying and slowly said, "I'm sorry Freddy, Winston and Jacob brought up the parent thing again and it just got to me."

"It's okay, you know I love you enough to understand that," Freddy hissed softly into the silence.

"I know, you're my best friend," Zatora giggled.

Freddy lifted his head proudly, "that's very nice to know."

"Oh, guess what, you almost made Miss Harshwish explode today!" Zatora said excitedly and she launched into the story. The pair talked away into the night until both lay fast asleep on top of the bed.

**So, what did you think? Leave a review (I really tried to make this one long – the next chapter should be a good one though).**


	4. Adopted

Chapter 4 – Adopted

**Thank you for all the reviews everyone. They really keep me writing and it's always good to know what I can do to fix my writing style for future reverence for stories that I write other then fanfiction. It's always nice to feel like someone likes what you do and I thank all of you again for reading! Now I'll let you read chapter four and five that I've put up today.**

Zatora woke with the sun streaming into her eyes. She moaned and grabbed a pillow and shoved it into her face before suddenly sitting up. Almost all the other girls in the room were sound asleep, dreaming peacefully in their own comfort zones. Zatora looked down and was shocked to find that Freddy has disappeared. She looked under her bed and smiled as she saw that he was fast asleep in his box. Carefully she sat up and got out of bed. Tip toeing silently to the door she opened it and went downstairs. A few other children were up but other then that the house was silent as she made her way down to breakfast.

At first Zatora was thoroughly confused as to why they hadn't been woken up so early. She bit her lip, trying hard to remember and then it hit her. Miss. Harshwish had told them that she was going away on a vacation and that Mrs. Bounty would be there to look after them for a week. Mrs. Bounty was always a kind woman and therefore she didn't force them to get up early unless they had to. Zatora sighed as she sat down and began eating warm porridge for breakfast.

After breakfast was over several of the other children went outside to play tag but Zatora merely sat and watched. She laughed along with the other children who were watching the game. Zatora gasped as she heard something slither behind her and whisper, "Zatora?"

Zatora looked around and saw Freddy sticking his head barely out of a clump of flowers in the flower bed. She glanced back at the group of children playing then turned fully to face him and asked, "what is it Freddy?"

"I just heard Mrs. Bounty talking about you," Freddy hissed, his tail shaking back and forth like an excited puppy that wanted to play.

"Oh, to whom was she speaking to?" Zatora asked perplexed and flustered.

"To some adults who are looking to adopt a little girl; Mrs. Bounty should come out anytime now looking for you." Freddy said excitedly his eyes bright as he looked up at Zatora.

"You're serious?" Zatora almost exclaimed, her voice shaking.

Freddy nodded before saying, "here she comes now."

Zatora looked over her shoulder and then scrambled to get to her feet. She stood up and pretended to be watching the game as Mrs. Bounty came over to her. "Zatora, darling, could you come with me?" Mrs. Bounty asked gently.

Zatora nodded and followed her inside the house. Mrs. Bounty led her to the room where she had wanted to go into for over seven years, where the actual adoption papers were signed. She took a deep shuddering breath as Mrs. Bounty opened the door to let her in. She looked at Mrs. Bounty almost cautiously, who nodded for her to move, so she moved inside the room.

Zatora heard the door close behind her as she first saw the couple sitting in front of her. They appeared to be in their early thirty's; the woman wore a kind smile as she looked at Zatora while the man beamed at his wife his eyes alight with kindness. Cautiously Zatora sat down in the last available chair and looked from the couple to Mrs. Bounty who was pulling out some paperwork.

She looked up at Zatora and said, "There really is no need to look so worried, dear, they aren't going to bite."

Zatora nodded and she felt herself blush as she noticed the couple was smiling happily at her. The woman smiled, "we're going to adopt you sweetie… Is that alright with you?"

Zatora felt her heart skip a beat, "you're really asking me that question?"

The couple nodded glancing at each other. Zatora grinned, "I'd love to be adopted by you."

The man smiled at his wife, "as soon as we get the paperwork signed, then you can go get your stuff and we'll be on our way."

Twenty minutes later the papers were signed and the couple and Zatora were getting up to go get her things. There was silence as Zatora almost tripped trying to get to the door quickly when, "Zatora, may I have a word with you." Zatora turned to face Mrs. Bounty and nodded slowly and Zatora's new parents went outside to wait for her. Zatora sat down again to face the women.

She pulled out a sealed envelope and said, "Your mother left this for you when you were only a baby. It has never been opened but we were told that you shouldn't read it until you were to leave this orphanage. It's yours now."

Mrs. Bounty handed the letter to Zatora who looked at the letter curiously. It had her name written on the envelope in the beautiful hand writing her mother had written with in the first letter she had received. She hesitated for a moment before opening the letter very carefully.

_Dear Zatora_

_By the time you read this I will most likely be dead. Although this fact may be true I want you to know that no matter what I loved and will always love you no matter what. In this dark world you aren't an ordinary girl and time will reveal that to you. I've informed the headmaster of the school that I know that you are to attend of your situation and to tell you when the time comes. I truly do love you and want nothing but the best for you. Remember as you grow older that you should be kind to everyone, be understanding, strong, and the sweet girl I know you will grow up to be._

_Sending you my love forever,_

_Your mother _

Zatora felt her world half shatter but she stopped the tears before they could get a chance to fall. Slowly she folded up the letter and put it back in the enveloped. She looked up at Mrs. Bounty and smiled, "thank you for giving me this… I should probably get my stuff now."

With that Zatora swiftly got up and got out of the room to find her new parents waiting for her. She smiled at them, "I'll be really fast, it won't take me too long to get my stuff."

Her parents nodded and she ran up the stairs almost tripping for the second time that day. She burst into her room and ran to her bed. She collapsed on it and looked under her bed and grabbed her possessions from under it. Freddy was in his box again and looked up at her happily, "so what's the verdict?"

"They adopted me! Isn't that great Freddy? They actually adopted me," Zatora half cried smiling brightly at her little friend.

"That's good," Freddy smiled, "so where does that leave us?"

Zatora was taken aback for a few seconds before asking, "What do you mean, Freddy?"

"I mean… What happens to me now?"

"You're coming with me of course," Zatora said happily.

"Really, you mean it? I get to come?" Freddy asked perking up considerably.

Zatora nodded, "of course, I could never leave you Freddy. You've been my best friend for the past four years."

"Thanks Zatora," Freddy hissed before curling up in the box as she closed it. She turned just as the door flew open and her other two friends came running in.

"Zatora, we just heard," Winston cried.

"You can't leave Zatora, we're going to miss you so much," Jacob added.

"You're our best friend," Winston protested.

"The point is we're forcing you to stay in contact with us," Jacob finished finalizing the conversation.

Zatora giggled hesitantly and then said, "I have to leave and in a way I want to. Not to get away from you two," Zatora added quickly seeing her friend's faces, "but because I want to know what a family is like."

"We know you have to leave," Winston said sadly, "we just want to stay in contact with each other, no matter what happens."

Jacob nodded, "we'll miss you but we aren't about to stop you from being happy."

"I know you wouldn't want to stop me from being happy and I would do the same for the both of you," Zatora said happily. "I'll send you a letter as soon as I get settled in, alright?"

Both boys nodded. Zatora put down her things on an empty bed and flung her arms around both the boy's necks. They hugged her back holding her close. They stood there for quite some time until Zatora backed away slowly. She wiped at her tears and said, "I'll be fine, I promise."

"You'd better be," Winston said strongly.

"Don't let any boy hurt you in any way," Jacob added, "or we'll come beat them up for you, even if you are a tom boy."

Zatora laughed while trying to make the tears stop, "I love you both. I'll stay in touch. I need to go though." With that she picked up her stuff, gave the boys a final hug and walked out the door.

She walked down the stairs with her possessions and met her parents at the bottom. They smiled at her and her new mother asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Zatora nodded, "yeah, I have everything."

"All right then, let's get on the road," Zatora's new father said smiling.

Zatora looked over her shoulder as she walked out the door with her new parents to see Winston and Jacob smiling as she left. She gave a smile small and a very quick wave before stepping out the door and into her new life.


	5. A Family

Chapter 5 – A Family

**Disclaimer: Eh, I'm done trying to say I don't own anything….**

Zatora couldn't be more thrilled as her parents pulled into the driveway of Zatora's new home. Her heart beat wildly against her ribs as she unbuckled herself and hopped out of the car. She took a deep breath and followed her family into the house.

The house was, to put it bluntly, homey. There was a fireplace in the living room, a downstairs where she supposed were more rooms. Off to the right there was a hall leading to a bathroom door that was open, and two other rooms that appeared to be closed. The kitchen was to the left and there was a bar like table separating the kitchen and the living room and then closely by that there was a dining table with six chairs around it and a baby high chair. Zatora stared at the cozy couch and the T.V. in the living room and then her eyes wondered to the chair angled towards the door and the T.V. where a boy was sitting along with another boy at his feet.

The door closed behind her and Zatora jumped forgetting that her new parents hadn't come in yet. The women smiled, "these are our boys, Zatora. This is Daniel, he's eleven, and this is Mathew and he's nine, closer to your age. We also have a little boy named David and he's two."

Zatora stared at the oldest boy for a second and then at the next oldest. She then said nervously, "hi."

"Hey," Daniel said smiling from the chair.

"Nice to have you in the family," Mathew grinned happily.

Zatora nodded and her new mother said, "how about I show you around the house?"

"That would be nice," Zatora said brightly, "thanks."

With that she followed her mother downstairs where she was shown that there was a playroom, the boy's rooms and then her room along with her own bathroom. Then upstairs was the guestroom, her parents room (with a crib in it for the baby who was asleep), and another bathroom that the kids were allowed to use when playing upstairs. There was also a beautiful backyard where the kids were allowed to play in as well along with a swing set. Once the tour was over her new mother left her to get settled in her bedroom and went upstairs to fix lunch.

Zatora sat down on her bed and stared around at the light pink wallpaper and the lacy curtains. She supposed she could get used to living in a girly room but it sort of scared her because she was so used to be a tom boy. She shuddered and looked down at her light pink bed with white drapes hanging around it. She liked the bed she had to admit that, with the many pillows and the few stuffed animals that had been in the room. Zatora also had a desk with a lamp on it, a bookcase with a few books on the shelves, and a beautiful closet with no cloths in it yet. She was pretty sure that they would take her shopping to get some cloths to put in it though so she had stuff to wear.

Suddenly Zatora remembered her box; quickly she opened it next to her to check on Freddy. She sighed when she looked into the box and found Freddy's large eyes staring up at her. Freddy blinked before raising himself so he could look out of the box and around the room. "Well," Freddy hissed softly, "it sure is… Different."

"Yeah, I know," Zatora said softly, "the room's a bit… To put it plainly: girly."

"Lots of pink," Freddy commented as he looked at the bed, "well, they really wanted a girl badly then, huh?"

"You can say that again," Zatora giggled.

Freddy nodded, "I wonder why they adopted instead of trying for their own girl."

Zatora fell silent and then said quietly, "I should ask, after I'm settled in of course. Maybe in a couple of years I will ask. You will have to remind me of course."

"Naturally," Freddy hissed before curling up in the box again and letting out a huge yawn.

"One more thing, you're can't go wandering out of this room. In fact, it would probably be best if you stayed in the box for now," Zatora whispered. "I don't want to risk you being seen and then be told that I have to get rid of you."

"Right, so do I get the bottom of the bed all to myself?" Freddy yawned again.

"Of course, it's all yours," Zatora said happily, "I might put some shoes under there or some things I want to keep secret but other then that you can call it home."

"Great," Freddy said grinning, "well, I need a nap. See you later Zatora."

"Sleep well, Freddy," Zatora laughed as she carefully put the box under her bed in a way that Freddy could get in and out of it.

She heard from above her name being called and she figured lunch was ready. She got up and walked upstairs to find Daniel and Mathew sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of them. Her mother smiled at her and said, "you're place is right next to Brian, your father if you like it better, and next to David, when he's awake that is."

Zatora nodded and sat down in her assigned place to eat her food. The sandwich was amazing. The mayo, turkey, lettuce, and tomato blended in smoothly and she could even make out a hint of mustard. She ate it quickly and drank her milk much slower. Once she was finished she looked at her mother waiting for instructions about dishes. When nobody said anything she asked softly, "um… Mom, what do you want me to do with my dishes?"

Her mother looked up confused, "oh, sorry dear. Just put them in the sink, I'll take care of them."

"Okay," Zatora said, "is it okay if I call you Mom and Dad? I don't want to call you that unless you want me too. I just imagine that it might be easier to call you that and get used to it."

"No, that's fine sweet heart," her Mother said happily.

"Yeah, Heather and I don't mind one bit," her Father said smiling at his wife.

"Okay, great," Zatora grinned and then got up to put her dishes in the sink.

The day passed by much too quickly; Zatora looked around at the books that her family had. Her mother, as she had predicted, took her shopping for some clothing that she could wear. They bought her two night dresses, five pairs of pants, several t-shirts, and two dresses to wear along with two pairs of shoes. After that they went home and put the clothes in her closet. She liked what they had gotten at the store; they had also gotten her a tooth brush, tooth paste, and mouth wash along with some hair supplies.

After everything was put away Zatora went upstairs to watch cartoons with her brothers while dinner was being cooked. David was finally awake and he crawled over to her and she held him in her lap. Dinner was amazing; meatballs and potatoes with some peas on the side. The atmosphere had also changed at the table. The boys were more talkative now and they were also talking to her as well. All too soon it was time to get ready for bed.

Zatora got ready for bed rather quickly; she brushed her teeth and her hair, put on one of her nightgowns and climbed into bed. She sat there holding one of the stuffed animals close to her body unsure if her parents were coming to tuck them all in or not. That question was answered in about ten minutes when she heard footsteps on the stairs and her door was opened. In walked her mother and her father. She smiled at them and snuggled deeper down into her new bed and sunk back into the pillows.

Her mother sat down on the end of her bed, "we leave the hall light on downstairs and a small light upstairs just incase you need us in the middle of the night. Do you want the door open or would you rather have it closed?"

"Closed, please, I can't sleep well with the light on," Zatora said sleepily.

"All right," her mother said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead along with her father. Her mother and father walked to the door and her mother added, before hitting the switch, "if you need anything at all during the night…"

"I know where to find you," Zatora replied holding back a yawn.

"Good night, Zatora," her father said hitting the light switch and closing the door.

"Good night," Zatora whispered before she found herself sinking into a deep sleep in her soft warm bed.

The door of the room eased open but Zatora did not wake. She turned over in her sleep and sighed, a few strands of her black hair falling across her face. The two figures moved silently over to her bed. One of the figures put out a hand, reaching toward her mouth. Quickly it clasped over it causing Zatora to jerk out of her deep sleep. She let out a cry of fear which was muffled by the hand over her mouth and struggled against the person's hold. A voice came from the figure whom had her mouth covered with his hand said, "Zatora, it's just me and Mathew, calm down."

Zatora stopped struggling and the hand slowly came off of her mouth. Zatora screwed up her eyes to see Daniel and Mathew in the dim light from her open door. She groaned and asked, "What time is it? Wait, why are you two in my room in the middle of the night in the first place?"

"Come with us to our play room, Zatora," Mathew replied and both boys walked out of the room. Confused and curious Zatora slipped out of bed and followed silently after them. She walked into the play room where there was a tent made out of blankets and pillows on the floor. The boys stood next to it beckoning her inside of it. She went to the entrance, got down on her hands and knees and crawled inside to find a flashlight on and a couple of blankets and pillows lying on the floor. Soon Daniel joined her followed by Mathew who made sure that the entrance was fully covered by the blankets.

"Okay," Zatora said still dazed and confused, "what time is it?"

"It's around one a.m.," Daniel whispered grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his body for warmth.

"Oh, that would explain why I'm so tired," Zatora said yawning. "That still doesn't explain why you two decided to wake me up in my room."

"We're getting to that," Mathew said shortly.

Daniel cleared his voice, "Zatora, we want to officially join you into our family. To do that you must join our little… Family club, so to speak. This club bonds us for life, meaning that we become soul brothers and sister and that nothing can ever come between us. That through out life we are friends, we help each other out through tough situations, and stick up for one another and look after each other. There are no club meetings and parents are not to know about the club."

"What?" Zatora asked completely lost.

Mathew looked at Daniel pointedly, "I told you we should have waited at least a week before we did this."

"Yes and like I said before: I like her, I'm the oldest and the founder of this club and I think she should be included in our brother, now to include, sister bond. We'll include David when he's older too," Daniel added for Zatora's sake.

"Yeah, but she's completely confused," Mathew sighed, "besides that, she just got here today."

"And I already view her as my younger sister that I need to protect," Daniel said.

"Would either of you care to explain what the point of this is?" Zatora interrupted their fight.

Mathew took a deep steadying breath, "this is basically our way of saying welcome to the family, you're our sister now idea… This is just an official way of making it binding in our eyes. Daniel started it with me and we both decided… Well, more like Daniel decided, that we need you to join our club."

Zatora let another yawn escape her, "oh, is that why you woke me up in the middle of the night?"

Daniel grinned, "You've got that right."

"I still have my doubts," Mathew said softly, "what if she doesn't fit in with-with us, Daniel?"

Zatora felt a piece of her pride take a blow at these words. Those were almost the exact same words the girls in the orphanage had used behind her back. She blinked rapidly fighting back the tears then said proudly, "how wouldn't I fit in?"

"Well," Mathew said, "we have a very strange family. We can do odd things. I'm really smart and can remember things easily. Daniel, for instance, can make things happen by just thinking it. I'm not sure how you would fit in."

Daniel hissed softly, "how many times have I told you that it doesn't matter? I even asked dad and he agrees with me. Not to mention, Dad said not to talk about the odd things just yet."

"Hey!" Zatora said defensively, "I can do odd things too."

Mathew stared at her, "really? Like what?"

Zatora smiled, "do you really want to know?"

Daniel and Mathew exchanged a look before nodding excitedly. Zatora leaned towards the two boys as if getting ready to reveal a deep dark secret. She looked around hesitantly and then said, "I can speak with snakes. Is that strange enough for you?"

Daniel's jaw dropped but he quickly recovered and shut his mouth. Mathew stared at her then said, "that certainly is odd, Zatora. All right, I say she can be in now."

"Thank you, Mathew," Daniel said sitting up straight. He looked at Zatora, "all right, you must take this oath if you want to be in the 'club'".

"All right then," Zatora said perking up slightly.

Daniel raised his right hand, "repeat after me. I, Zatora, do take this oath of the family club."

"I, Zatora, do take this oath of the family club," Zatora repeated.

"I promise to be the best sister to my older brothers and to any younger members that join our club."

"I promise to be the best sister to my older brothers and to any younger members that join our club." Zatora recited.

"I promise to uphold the family name and to stand up for any of the family club members if they are in trouble. I also promise to be there for the other members and expect the same treatment from them." Daniel said happily.

"I promise to uphold the family name and to stand up for any of the family club members if they are in trouble. I also promise to be there for the other members and expect the same-same-what was that last part again?" Zatora asked with a perplexed look on her face.

"Expect the same treatment from them," Daniel whispered.

"Oh yeah," Zatora said, "And expect the same treatment from them."

"Finally I do promise to uphold the rules of the family club and am willing to be a part of the family club for life." Daniel stated simply.

"Finally I do promise to uphold the rules of the family club and am willing to be a part of the family club for life."

"With these words I am now officially a sister in the family club to the members that are already in it and a sister for future members."

"With these words I am now officially a sister in the family club to the members that are already in it and a sister for future members," Zatora finished.

"Great," Daniel said putting down his hand and grinned, "welcome to the family, Zatora!"

"Welcome to the family," Mathew said smiling from ear to ear.

"Family," Zatora said. She thought for a second then added, "It's nice to have two older brothers and best friends in one night."

With that she crawled out of the tent and went back to her bed.

**So, what did you think? I tried to make this chapter longer than the others. This is also a late Christmas/New Years gift for everyone that reads this! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone and enjoy the holidays everyone. Oh, because it was mentioned in one of the reviews from last time I want to hear your thoughts on the name Zatora for the main character. Do you like it? Should it be changed, if it should be changed what should it be changed to? Let me know and we'll go by majority's vote on it.**


	6. Owls and Letters

Chapter 6 – Owls and Letters

**Looks like you guys get three chapters instead of my original plan of two chapters for a holiday present. I hope you enjoy the added chapter.**

The past month with Zatora's new family had been wonderful. She had bonded right away with her new brothers, not to mention friends, right away. They had spent the summer playing in the back, walking down to the park just a few blocks away, running errands with their mother, and enjoying each others company. In fact the month had passed way too quickly and Zatora was surprised when she was reminded at breakfast that school would soon be starting.

She had walked up the stairs from her room still in her night gown and sat down at the table where Daniel was already eating a bowl of cereal. Zatora yawned and spooned up some oatmeal from the pot and poured some cool milk on it along with some brown sugar. She was trying so hard to convince her body to wake up but she also longed to go back downstairs to her comfortable bed where she could easily sleep for another hour or so. The two choices were both interesting, stay awake or go back to sleep. If she were to stay awake she could always watch some T.V. or go play after she was fully dressed within an hour or so. Then again, if she were to sleep she could continue dreaming about whatever she was dreaming about.

She thought for a minute; the dream she had been having had been such a good one. There had been a boy he had been smiling at her with dark black hair… There had also been a blonde in the picture and… She took a bite of oatmeal and continued wondering about her dream when Daniel suddenly said, "wow, can you believe we only have about two weeks left of summer?"

"What?" Zatora asked and she quickly rephrased what she had said. "Only two weeks left of summer?"

"Yup, school will be starting soon," Daniel said and then added, "I'm expecting a letter for a school I hope I get into any day now."

"Oh really, is it a fancy school?" Zatora asked excitedly.

Daniel looked around to make sure none of the grown ups were listening, "it's a special school if you want to look at it that way. It's only for talented children, like the ones that run in our family."

"What's that suppose to mean," Zatora heard herself wonder outloud.

"It means that the only ones who go to the school I'm talking about are the ones that can do odd things."

"What kind of odd things?"

Daniel lowered his voice, "like the stuff Mathew and I can do."

"Does that include talking to snakes? What's the school called, can I go too? When do people normally go? Is it like a boarding school and why are you laughing, I'm serious about all these questions!"

Daniel grinned, "Oh nothing, you'll see in a day or two… Maybe even today, if I'm lucky that is."

Zatora sighed, "So you're not going to answer any of my questions then?"

"Nope."

Put out Zatora went back to her oatmeal as Mathew came groggily up the stairs. He sat down next to Daniel and let out a huge yawn before saying sleepily, "m-m-morning everyone."

"Good morning, sleepy head," Daniel teased, ruffling his hair.

"Hey, don't do-do-do that," Mathew yawned trying to flatten his bed hair that had just gotten even more messed up by his brother.

Zatora giggled and took another bite exchanging a happy grin with Daniel. Mathew, who had completely missed this exchange because he was consumed by another yawn, merely pulled his bowl towards him and asked, "Any mail yet? Dad said it should be any day now."

Their mother came over to the table, "no, there's no mail yet and don't talk about such things in front of Zatora just yet Mathew."

Zatora felt completely lost again, "why is it everyone seems to know something that I don't?"

"We'll fill you in once the letter arrives, that'll bring enough questions as it is," Daniel said smiling at his Mom before eating more of his breakfast.

"But," Zatora said desperately trying to protest.

"Zatora darling, your food is getting cold," her mother said which caused her to drop the subject for the time being.

* * *

For the next couple of days Zatora found herself waiting for the mail to be brought to the house almost as if her life depended on it. She was so curious as to what Daniel had meant by 'once the letter arrives, that'll bring enough questions as it is' that she couldn't help but volunteer to go get the letters from the mail man when he would walk by. Every time she was disappointed by the fact that there were only bills. Her excitement had peaked one day when she had found a letter addressed to Mathew and then one for her but was only put out again when she discovered that the letters were to the public school in the area. As her excitement peaked so did her discouragement that no such letter would ever make its way into the house.

One morning Zatora woke up bright and early. It was a Saturday, the second to last Saturday before school would begin, and with renewed excitement she jumped out of bed. She threw on some clothes, put a clip in her hair to keep it out of her eyes, and went upstairs. Her father was sitting on the couch reading the paper and he asked over it as she went to the door, "going for the mail again?"

"Yeah," Zatora said quickly pulling on some shoes, "the mailman said he comes earlier on Saturday's. He says he likes to get his weekend shift done earlier so he has more free time during the day."

"Well, you've only been keeping a look out for the mail for three days and you already know his schedule," her father commented as Zatora ran out the door.

"Right on time, little lady," the man outside said who was walking down the block wearing a blue coat and blue pants. He smiled at Zatora who ran down the block to greet the mail man. She had barely mad it out on time to catch him before he had to leave the mail in the box. Zatora grinned happily as she skidded to a stop in front of him looking eager.

"I didn't miss you," Zatora said with bright eyes, "so do you have any mail for us today?"

The mail man nodded and Zatora had to fight to keep herself, standing still. He pulled out a small stack of envelopes and she took them from him excitedly. Swiftly she searched through the pile; bill, bill, letter for mom, bill, bill, and addressed to the family from someone she didn't know. Her excitement dropped back down to zero and she looked up at the mail man almost sadly. He smiled at her and said, "have a good day," and walked around her up the road.

She stood outside for a little trying to decide how she felt. For the past four days she had ran out to greet the mailman since she had heard that there was a letter coming for Daniel and for the past four days there had been no letter. Mathew and herself had gotten their school letters so where was Daniels? School would be starting in just a week and if he didn't have his letter then what? Would he not go to this private boarding school or whatever the school was? Was there no school at all? Maybe he had just been saying this as a joke, or maybe this was his way of making fun of her. But would her mother play along with it? She was too nice to play along with a joke like this.

"Zatora, come inside quick! You're missing it," Mathew called from the door excitedly.

Zatora turned and looked at Mathew perplexed, "what am I missing?"

"Daniel's letter just arrived," Mathew said running out to greet her and drag her inside the house.

"But I just got the mail from the mailman and there wasn't a letter for Dan—"

"No, no, no his letter wouldn't be in there, not in this house," Mathew said dragging her through the front door.

Zatora heard herself scream as her eyes fell upon the thing sitting on the kitchen table. The only time she had ever seen a bird so big was in a book and that had been merely a picture. The bird had round yellow eyes, a rounded book, and was oval. She starred at the bird and then looked at Mathew who looked excited by the arrival of a big bird sitting on their kitchen table. Zatora backed up against the now closed door her mouth hanging open in terror as Daniel ran up the stairs from her left. He saw the bird and grinned and ran to it. Almost immediately the bird held out its leg and let him take off a letter tied to it. Zatora watched in horror as Daniel took off the letter and stroked the bird quickly as thanks before it spread its wings and flew out the back door.

"Dad, Mom this is it," Daniel said excitedly, "this is my letter!" He tore open the letter and pulled out two sheets of thick parchment paper.

Zatora watched as Mathew ran over to his side and her mother and father joined the group. Daniel read through the letter and then handed the second piece of paper to his mother. Her Mom smiled and said, "We'll need to go to Diagon Alley today then."

Zatora bit her lip before blurting out, "what the heck is going on?"

Everyone looked up at her and Daniel gasped, "I can't believe we forgot about Zatora, she doesn't know any of this stuff."

Her father smiled at her, "well then we'd better sit down and explain it to her then before we go to Diagon Alley."

Zatora very hesitantly moved to sit down on the couch as the rest of her family moved to sit with her in the living room. Her mother disappeared for a moment and came back carrying David in her arms. Zatora looked at her father expectantly waiting for him to start explaining when she heard a soft hiss from her feet, "Zatora, I heard you scream, what's going on."

"Freddy," Zatora exclaimed and her she heard her mother take a sharp in take of breath. She looked up and then turned red and said out loud, "oops."

"Well," her father began, "it looks like we adopted a witch after all, isn't that nice darling?"

"A what?" Zatora asked stunned by what her father had called her.

"You're a witch," her mother said still watching the snake as it slithered up Zatora's leg and into her lap, "it means you can do magic and that you have magical abilities."

"See, we come from a long line of pureblood family, meaning that we haven't married muggles, non-magical folk. We, unlike most pureblood families, enjoy the company of muggles and were prepared for you to be a muggle and have to explain everything in the light and sense that you would never be going to Hogwarts." Her father explained.

"Hogwarts?" Zatora asked.

"That's the school for witches and wizards," her mother said, "it's where we go to train up on our magic so we can actually use it when we're adults. We become adults when we turn seventeen in the magical world."

"So how do I have magical abilities?" Zatora asked.

"You can talk to snakes," Mathew said simply, "it's known as parsletongue."

"That's a magical ability?" Zatora asked again feeling like she was only going to be asking questions for the next couple of hours.

"Yes," her father said exchanging a look with his wife.

"So what's Diagon Alley?" Zatora asked excitedly, the fact that she was a witch intrigued her.

"It's a shopping place where we get magical supplies," Daniel said happily, "that's where we'll get my supplies for school and they have other places like an ice cream parlor and a bank, not to mention the Leaky Cauldron, you'll love it."

"Okay, so what about the bird?"

"That's our way of delivering post to magical families," her mother replied shifting David slightly, "they're really handy and they don't bite, those lovely owls."

"Oh, that's what they're called. I thought I read about them in a book before," Zatora recalled the image from the book.

"Yeah, they're handy," Daniel said, "and they're great pets."

"Now," her father said turning serious, "how long have you had the snake in the house?"

Zatora felt herself turn red, "ever since I got here. I had him at the orphanage. He's kind of my little pet and friend. He was always there for me when I needed him. Oh please don't make me turn Freddy out I wouldn't be able to do it. He normally stays under my bed; it's just that he's very protective of me and doesn't like it when I'm in danger and he heard me scream and came to investigate and he won't harm a fly, honest."

"Well, Heather," her father asked her mother, "what do you think?"

She sighed, "All right then, we can't just turn a little thing like that out into the cold world."

"Thank you, so much!" Zatora said grinning down at Freddy.

"Well," Mathew said, "looks like you're really going to be party of the Varner family after all."

Daniel got to his feet excitedly, "well then, let's get to Diagon Alley!"

**So, what did you think? I made it longer yet again. Was it horrible, was it good, reviews are awesome! Thanks for reading. Oh to answer the question of why things seem to be moving so fast, I'm trying to get Zatora to her seventh year. I will warn you when the chapters will start skiping years and only doing certian events from each year. **

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	7. Diagon Alley

Chapter 7 – Diagon Alley

**Well, here's chapter seven! Warning: There's going to be a time jump to when Zatora is eleven (just so everybody's clear on that and not confused). While I'm thinking about it, I should also tell you all that there is a reason why I'm making it go faster. I'm trying to get her to the age of 17 where more things will be happening to her. Now that we're all clear I present to you chapter seven!**

Zatora awoke with a start. She smiled as she remembered that today was the day she had been counting down to since Daniel had gotten his letter to Hogwarts. She jumped out of bed, ran across the hall and into her brothers room and came to a halt in front of her oldest brothers bed. Without even considering the time of the day she started shaking him by the shoulder saying, "today's the day, today's the day, Daniel wake up!"

Daniel groaned as his younger sister shook him awake, then ran over to one of his brothers and began shaking him awake too. Zatora didn't bother waking up her youngest brother seeing as he was already sitting up and asking, "what's today Zatora?"

"Come on Mathew wake up, Daniel you too," Zatora said happily grabbing the pillows on David's bed and throwing them at her brothers, "we're going to Diagon Alley today to get… My wand."

"That's today?" moaned Mathew, sitting up and gropping for his clock to check on the time, "why are you waking us up? It's still dark… Zatora!" He whined, putting his head back down.

"Mathew," she whined back then switched to a pleading tone, "come on, Mathew you woke me up at one a.m. to have me join the family. I'm returning the favor, although I waited until six."

Daniel got out of bed and stretched, "Mathew, she has a point. Just get out of bed, I'm sure we can watch cartoons or something… Make breakfast for Mom and Dad." He yawned.

"Come on David," Zatora said happy again once she saw that Mathew was getting out of bed, "let's make breakfast for Mommy and Daddy." She then swooped down and picked up the five year old and carried him out the door laughing all the way the way up the stairs.

Mathew and Daniel followed Zatora sleepily out of their bedroom and up the stairs to find her getting pans out to cook things in. She grinned as they started joining her while David walked over to the T.V. and turned it on to cartoons. Zatora went about her job perkily, helping mix the eggs in with the batter for pancakes. She then put some eggs into a pan to fry, and started peeling potatoes.

She couldn't help hiding her giggles when ever her brothers would send her dark looks or a yawn. After the many years they had made her get out of bed to join them on crazy adventures throughout the house she felt they almost deserved it. There had been one two summers ago where they had all been very upset and not eaten dinner. Several hours later Daniel had woken her up and said, "we're sneaking upstairs to get food, want to come?" They, of course, had been caught on the stairs and fed anyways but she had still been sound asleep.

Now, she didn't care that she had woken them up. Zatora smiled as Daniel told her to go sit down now that the food was finally cooking (she still wasn't allowed to cook without and adult) but seeing as Daniel was fourteen he was allowed to cook sometimes. Mathew followed suite, being a young man of twelve didn't stop him from wanting to watch cartoons. They sat down togther on the couch and watched while Daniel manned the pans alone.

Once the food was ready, Daniel put the food on plates and then placed two plates on trays and called for the rest to help him carry it. Zatora lept to her feet, turned the T.V. off and grabbed David's hand he got up and followed her into the hall way to their parents bedroom. Zatora pushed aside some of her hair and let Daniel and Mathew go in front. Mathew opened the door and everyone crept inside.

Zatora smiled as she saw her wonderful parents sleeping. They weren't really her real parents but she didn't consider that fact anymore. They had become so real to her that she hardly cared if they had adopted her or if she had actually been born into the family. In fact her syblings and her parents treated her just like she had been born as a sister when she was a baby. She had lived with her family for three years and life couldn't have been better.

In fact, just three years ago Zatora had learned about the magical world which she belonged to. Daniel had started school three years ago, and Mathew had joined him just two years later. When they had gone to Diagon Alley for the first time Zatora had looked left and right, amazed by the displays in the windows an the witches and wizards walking around with their heavy bags of books and supplies. She had been taken aback by goblins running a wizard bank and completely in awe when they had entered Olivanders. Everything had happened so quickly back then but now she knew everything about the wizarding community and how life was run in the light of wizards and witches.

She smiled and crept foreward and shook her mothers shoulder. She blinked and rolled over to look into the face of her daughter. She smiled and sat up then took a sharp intake of breath as she saw the food on the tray that Daniel was carrying. Their mother gently said, "darling, wake up, the children made us breakfast."

Their father yawned and rolled over and sniffed at the air. He sighed and then said, "pancakes, eggs, and do I smell… hashbrowns. Excellent!" He sat up and put his arm around his wife as Daniel placed the food on their bed.

"Why are you all up so early?" Their mother asked while their father began eating.

"You said we're going to go to Diagon Alley today," Zatora said excitedly, "to get a wand… remember?"

"Is that today?" Her mother asked, "goodness the time flies during the summer. Oh, Darling, whatever are we going to do? Zatora's going to Hogwarts in a week. We'll only have David left."

David looked up at his mother forlorn, "I want to go to Hogwarts too, Mama, I want to go too!"

Daniel laughed, "you're only five, you still have to wait six more years David."

David looked sadly up at his mother, "is six years a really long time, Mama?"

"It sure can seem like a long time, but it'll be here soon enough," their Father said picking David up and tickling him causing him to squirm and giggle.

"I bet anything that Zatora ends up in Gryffindor like Mathew and me," Daniel said happily as their parents began getting up and pulling on some clothes and using the bathroom.

"Nah, she's too smart," Mathew said, "she already knows more about Hogwarts and she hasn't even gone yet. How much do you want to bet she fuond a map and has every floor memorized?"

"I wouldn't say every floor," Zatora said in a hushed voice, "but I know where to find all the major classes."

"What did I tell you?" Mathew triumphantly said, "she'll be in Ravenclaw for sure."

"But, I want to be in Gryffindor, Mathew." Zatora protested.

"Yeah, Mathew, she wants to be in Gryffindor," Daniel repeated, "with us."

"Well, what if she ends up in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?"

"She could end up in Slytherin," Daniel added.

"Ugh, no," Zatora stuck out her tongue.

"She's too nice to end up in Slytherin," Mathew said sympathetically.

"Yeah, you're right. Besides, all the witches and wizards in that house go bad at some time." Daniel said. "We wouldn't want Zatora going in there."

"I just hope I'm in Gryffindor," Zatora whispered more to herself, looking crest fallen.

"Don't worry about it," Daniel said bracingly, his hand resting on her shoulder, "we'll love you no matter what."

"Hey, are you kids coming or what?" their father asked at the door. All of them jumped up and ran out the door to the fireplace. Their mother was already standing there looking slightly nervous as they eargerly crowded the fireplace. Once Dad was in the room her looked over at his wife's anxious face and said, "Heather, calm down, you were using the Floo network when you were four. They'll be fine."

"I know, it's just," she fused slightly over David and then Zatora, "well, Brian, dear, David's still so young and… Zatora has only done it once before—"

"And she was fine," Brian said handing the Floo Powder to Daniel, "she'll be fine, and David can come with us if you're so worried."

David looked up at his mother, "Mommy, don't worry, I'll be fine. I can do it on my own, I'm not a baby."

Zatora watched as her mother's face paled and stroked her son's hair down staring at the flames. Daniel took a handful of powder, threw it into the fireplace and said clearly, "Diagon Alley," he then disappeared into the flames. Mathew quickly followed suite and it was Zatora's turn. She took a deep breath, took some powder and tossed it into the flames. She stepped into the green flames, smiling as they warmed her body lightly. "Diagon Alley," she said, giving a quick wave to her mother before the spinning began.

This was the interesting part. Despite the fact that it could make one very dizy Zatora enjoyed watching the fireplaces zoom by. She felt it amusing to watch the different rooms flash by her eyes, the green flames flickering around her body, and the glimpse's of muggles or other witches and wizards. Suddenly she felt herself slowing down and suddenly she was stumbling out of the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. Zatora gained her balance and went over to Daniel and Mathew, brushing soot from her clothes. They waited patiently and soon David was there. He grinned, and glanced back at the fireplace as if it was the coolest thing in the world, before running over to Daniel who picked him up as they waited for their parents. First their mother appeared, her hair dusty and her clothes slightly darker and then their father, with a dark smudge on his cheek and hands. Together they walked over to their children and led them out to the back where the opening was to Diagon Alley.

Zatora could hardly wait. She could still remember the first time they had gone to Diagon Alley as if it were yesterday. Daniel had also been excited just to see her face…

"Just wait Zatora, you're going to think you've stepped into an amazing dream," Daniel said practically jumping up and down with impatience as Dad counted the bricks.

* * *

_Zatora watched curiously, her dark hair blowing in the breeze, her eyes wide with excitement. Her heart beat wildly as the brick wall began to change into an archway. She felt her jaw drop as a bright street appeared and Daniel took her hand and dragged her through the archway. Zatora had turned in awe and watched the entrance change back into a wall. Everything they passed was amazing and she had wanted to know everything. What the stores sold, what that building was, and what was that thing in that crate over there? They had passed a bookstore stacked with books outside and the display case revealing a beautifully bound book. She had gaped at the broomstick; and then that was nothing when they had come to the bank, the tall white building stretching up towards the sky and looming over them. She had stared at it and then read what the door had to say. They had gone through the first doors and Zatora had gasped._

"_That's only a goblin dear, they won't hurt you," her mother had whispered, giving her a small nudge to keep moving for Zatora had stopped dead in her tracks to stare at the odd looking creature._

_Cautiously she moved through the doors and ran after Daniel, glancing around her at all the other goblins working and doing their duties. Some were talking to customers and more were coming out of doors behind the desks. She stared avidly after the goblins or at the amazing jewels that some were weighing. Other were counting out coins. Zatora was so busy watching everything else that she bumped into Daniel who had stopped at a counter next to their Dad._

"_Well, your key is in order, come here please Dorin," the goblin at the desk had said and another goblin stepped foreward. "Please take there people to their volt."_

"_I think we'll need to carts," Dorin said starring at the family and counting heads._

"_All right, take Burrik with you as well, where is that rascal?" The goblin at the desk had said in his husky voice, "Burrik, please come here."_

_Another goblin ran up quickly and said hastily, "sorry, I was in the middle of… eating lunch sir."_

"_Yes, well, you can go back to your lunch break after you help Dorin take this family to their volt," the goblin in charge said and then said in an undertone to Dorin, "make sure he doesn't do anything foolish." Zatora felt her heart flutter but followed David anyways._

_Zatora didn't like the seating arrangements at all, in the two carts that had zoomed towards them when Dorin had called them. They looked dangerous but she ended being in a cart with Daniel and Mathew and to her horror Burrik said he would go in the last cart with the children. She had looked at Daniel helplessly but he merely said, "he wouldn't do anything stupid, unless he wants to loose his job."_

_Although Zatora knew this was suppose to be comforting she still felt herself becoming frightened as she watched her parents and David get into the cart in front of them with Dorin. With a single word, from Dorin, the carts had taken off down the track they had come. Zatora found herself enjoying the thrilling ride down to the volts. Her hair was being blown back into Daniels face and Borrik began talking to them._

"_So, who's going to Hogwarts out of you youngsters?"_

"_I am," Daniel had said through a mouthful of Zatora's thick black hair._

"_Oh, well, I'm sure you'll love it. Hogwarts, I mean," Borrik had said smiling._

_Mathew suddenly pipped off with, "are there really dragons down here? I heard that from a friend and I've always wanted to know."_

"_Oh yes," Borrik grinned, "why don't I show you on a side trip before we go to your volt?" and with out warning they took the next right rather then the left. _

_Zatora glanced back and Daniel horror struck who also had a look of fear on his face as they plunged down a sharp hill. Zatora had let out a small shriek and Daniel had held her close and Zatora quickly grabbed Mathew's shirt fearfully. The cart took sharp turns and it was no so cold that Zatora felt her body shivering with out even comprehending it. A sharp turn nearly found Mathew flying out of the cart had it not been for Daniel who had grabbed his arm before he flew completely out. Borrik got the cart to slow down and Zatora gasped a huge scaley dragon looked down on them. Zatora shrank into Daniel as Mathew whispered in an awed voice, "wow."_

_There were about five dragons that Zatora could see, all of different sizes and colors. A jet black dragon had sent a burst of fire into the air and another had snaped at the cart as it went past causing Zatora to jump but she would never let a tear escape even if she was frightened. Soon the cart was zooming upward again and taking a wide turn they were going in the right direction. Daniel rubbed Zatora's shoulder gently trying to get her to stop shaking but Zatora couldn't help it. She covered her eyes with her hands as they sped off and finally came to following their parents cart again and came to a hault. Daniel jumped out and helped Zatora out and dragged Mathew out before he could ask more questions. They were both dragged to their parents Daniel giving sharp looks at Mathew who looked cluelessly back at him._

_The volt was opened and Zatora couldn't help feeling amazed at was she saw before her. Piles of gold lay on the floor along with bronze and silver. She gaped at the money and looked at Daniel for an explanation. Mathew answered instead, "the gold are called galleons, the silver is sickles, and the bronze are knuts. Not too hard to remember."_

_Zatora watched in awe as her mother grabbed a small sack and piled in some money. They then got back in the carts but before they left Daniel had said sternly, "no more questions, Mathew," and had left it at that._

* * *

Zatora came out of her memory when she got dragged off to get her robes. The trip to Gringotts had been rather enjoyable seeing as David had shrieked with laughter all the way down to their vault. She was getting her robes measured when another pair of girls came into the shop. They got told to stand on two stools next to herself and she suddenly found one of the girls talking to her.

"Hi," one of the girls said happily, "I'm Padma Patil, and that's my twin sister Parvati, who are you?"

"I'm Zatora Varner," Zatora said hesitantly. "Are you going to Hogwarts this year or have you already been there for a while?"

"We're going this year," Padma said, her face lighting up, "I guess we'll be in the same year, it'll be fun."

"Yeah it will be," she got down off the stool once she was finished and said happily, "see you on the train Padma."

She walked over to Daniel with her new robes said, "lets go find Mum and Dad at the book store."

Together they walked up the street. It wasn't too hard to find their parents in the bookstore. In fact they had barely walked through the doors when David ran to them and laughed happily. Zatora grinned, he was the sweetest baby brother she had ever been graced to meet. They walked over to their parents, with David, to find Mathew already deeply into one of his new books. Zatora had learned through the years that Mathew could be a really big smarty pants. On the other hand he also had a very sweet dispostion and understanding that was mature for his age. He could easily have you wrapped around his finger without hardly moving a muscle. He knew how to comfort and yet also knew how to get his way in that annoying sort of way. Either way, Zatora enjoyed his presence as a brother and a friend and because they were only one year apart they were quite close.

Zatora dragged her family out of the shop to go to the one place she had wanted to go from the start. Mr. Ollivanders was the one place she wanted to go to. That was the one thing that she wanted more than anything right at that moment. A wand; not just a play stick you pick up off the ground but a real wand that actually did magic. She could remember when Daniel had gotten his wand and had longed for her own ever since.

* * *

_The Varner family had entered the dimly lit shop entitled Ollivanders. Zatora moved a few inches closer to her mother, wondering what was going to happen in here. Daniel was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in an excited sort of way while Mathew merely watched his brother. The silence deepened as the minutes passed. Zatora was just about to point out that maybe the owner had left without locking up when a soft voice behind her made her jump._

"_Well, well, well, the Varner family has arrived at last."_

_Zatora spun around and backed up into her mother as she found a pair of misty gray eyes starring at her. Behind her she could sense Daniel be overcome by a hushed excitement that seemed to radiate through the room. The man blinked and then swept out of the shadows to Daniel and their father, Zatora starring curriously after him._

"_Ah, the oldest of the Varner family finally is old enough to go to Hogwarts. Yes, I've been expecting you sometime this week."_

_He began moving around and pulling out long thin boxes and placing them on the counter. He turned to a measuring tape and said, "well, now, you know what you're supposed to do. Get to it then." The measuring tape unraveled itself and sped over to Daniel and started measuring him._

"_I seem to have forgotten my manors," the man said still grabbig boxes, "my name is Mr. Ollivander. I have been working here, making wands, for a very long time indeed. Oh yes, I remember every wand that has ever been made in this place and every wand that left. For instance, Heather Varner, a beautifully fashioned wand, Rose Wood with the hair of a unicorn. Wonderful for Defense I must say but also for healing. It was one of my finer works."_

_He looked up at Daniel and said, "right or left handed?"_

"_Right," Daniel said automatically._

"_Ahh," Mr. Ollivander said, "enough with the measuring, that's going a little too far for my liking and we have the information we need. No, really I believe that I said that's quite enough." He pulled out his wand and waved it and the measuring tape crumpled to the floor._

"_Darn thing," Mr. Ollivander said in his whispy voice, "I'll have to get it fixed, it's supposed to stop when I tell him too. Although it's taken a liking to measuring little details that don't honestly matter. Now then… For the wand." He pulled out a magnificent wand with ornate designs carved on it, "try this one, Holly wood with dragon heart string."_

_Daniel had only had it in his hands for a second when it was replaced by, "Drift wood and Pheonix feather, unique combination but nevertheless, have a go."_

_On and on it seemed to go, and each wand was rejected. Zatora watched in wonder as Mr. Ollivander went through box after box. Then, on the twentieth box, for Zatora had been counting, it happened. "Try this one then, Unicorn hair with the lovely combination of Oak wood. Does well with Charm work."_

_Daniel swished the wand a several bright, red sparks flew out of the end. Everyone had cheered except Mr. Ollivander who had then taken the wand and said, "well, now that's the ticket. Beautiful wand, you take after you mother and your father. Yes, Brian's wand was of Oak with Dragon Heart String. I favored it highly, one of the wands that took me ages to make. It was a picky wand, didn't want any ordinary person handling it. Yes, now the total would be…"_

* * *

Zatora came out of her memorys and stepped into the Mr. Ollivanders wand shop. She was looking foreward to this, more than anything else that whole entire day. She took a deep steadying breath and waited with her family Mathew and Daniel were looking curiously at some wands on display, their shiny surfaces sparkling in the little light in the room. Zatora felt her fathers hand on her shoulder which was bringing her some comfort to her endless nerves. They waited; and suddenly, just as it had been with Daniel, there was a soft voice saying, "Well now, Zatora Varner today, is it not."

Zatora looked around and those same misty gray eyes starred back at her from a shadowy corner as usual. Mr. Ollivander moved into the light and came over to her, looking her up and down with interest.

"Well, you are a pretty little thing, aren't you?" Mr. Ollivander commented. "You did get your looks from your father I can tell, but the hair style is quite like your mothers. She did prefer straight, although she was blessed with rather wavy hair. Yes, she was a lovely young lady. She purchased a fine Holly wand charmed with a rather testy dragon scale. I have few of those, and I still enjoy the heart string the best. It works much better but the wand favored her gifted touch. That wand did best with handling creatures. You are on the skinny side, presumably from your father. Yes, you do take after him on looks, your eyes though… yes blue, from your mother although your father had blue as well, and you have her nose and the same tender hands. Mostly your father, he gave his all for you, his only child, I can see, whether he knows that or not. No, he gave you his looks, and most likely his talent as well. Enough said, are you left or right?"

"Right," said Zatora rather taken aback.

"Yes, I suppose you would be," Mr. Ollivander said, "now, get a move on, we don't have all day you know." The measuring tape flew up and began measuring Zatora. Mr. Ollivander strode into the back of his shelves and came back again with several boxes.

"Well, we'll try you on some of these," Mr. Ollivander continued, "witches tend to be picky when it comes to the wand style but I have seen otherwise. Then again, the wands that favor most witches tend to be on the swishy side although I personally prefer stable wands as your brother Mathew has. They give a stable will to the wand, something as a base in my oppionion. We shall see, shall we not? That's enough, thank you." Mr. Ollivander said and the measuring tape rolled up and went back on the counter.

"Well, now, the first wand we have is a Red wood wand, charmed with a pheonix feather. Give it a go."

Zatora tried but it was soon replaced with a Willow wand, and then a Holly, along with Rose wood. She began to loose count as another wand was shoved into her hands to try. Although she was trying her best to keep her cool she was starting to get nervous at the fact that the wands just didn't want to work with her. Then again, Mathew had taken forever in finding the right wand. So the pile of wands kept mounting as Zatora continue trying wand, after wand, after wand…

"Let's try you on this wand," Mr. Ollivander said happily, "made from White Ash wood, charmed with a pheonix feather. Go on, give it a go."

Taking the wand Zatora had to admitt she felt put out. The wand in her hands was nice and sturdy; it was ornately carved with flames leaping up from the base of the wand and reaching up to the tip. Other then that it was smooth and just like the other wands, some of which had been worked with amazing details, others more plain. It felt warm in her hands and a funny tingling was growing in her fingers, almost itching to try it out. She waved the wand and was amazed with several sparks flew out of the end and glittered down until they faded away, with out touching the floor.

"I believe we've found your wand," Mr. Ollivander smiled taking the wand gently from Zatora.

He began wrapping up her wand in brown wrapping paper, and taped it shut. Mr. Ollivander asked for the money needed for the wand and she watched her father pay seventeen sickles for her brand new wand. Somewhere deep inside Zatora couldn't help a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. Mr. Ollivander remembered her parents. Her mother had never mentioned anything about her father in the two letters she had written and this was enough to have her interest.

"Mr. Ollivander," Zatora said, "you knew my father… What was his name?"

Mr. Ollivander stared at her for a little while, measuring her up. He sighed and then gave her a weary smile, "here is not the time. You're not ready for that kind of information. Enjoy the family you have and someday you will know. I believe your family is waiting for you before they leave. They wouldn't want to leave you behind now would they?"

Zatora nodded and left the shop behind Mathew. Although Mr. Ollivander hadn't answered her question she had to admitt that he had a point. She shouldn't be worrying about the parents who didn't want her. Besides, she had a family right there in front of her. Zatora smiled and sped up to walk with Daniel, Mathew, and David.

**So, how was it? Good, bad? I ended making this chapter rather longer. Let me know. Reviews are nice, just don't be too harsh. I appologize for my spelling/grammer error's right now. I hope you enjoyed chapter 7. We're going to the Hogwarts Express next chapter and the Sorting.**

Hermione-Hermyown


	8. The Hogwarts Express

Chapter 8 – The Hogwarts Express

**So Zatora is going to Hogwarts in this chapter and be sorted. This is going to be exciting. First I need to say a few thank you's to the following reviewer's.**

**Hurricane Rachel: Yes, it was rather intense and don't worry she'll find out about her parents in due time. I have that part already in the planning but it won't happen for a few more chapters. She does know about her mothers name, so she just doesn't know about Voldemort being her father but it'll come.**

**Strange and proud: Thanks for the compliment on cool. The others don't know about her real parents just yet and with the final comment of her getting to be friends with Harry you'll just have to wait and see, but I will say that she isn't going to meet him in this chapter and not for a while.**

**CrazySmallLady: Thanks! I agree, I'm all for the lions! Go Gryffindor. I've always loved Gryffindors, they are awsome, but I like the other houses too. Slytherin isn't always too bad I don't think, and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are also cool. Gryffindors still rock though.**

**Right so that's enough blabbering about Reviews. Thanks for the reviews, they truely help me to know, how I'm doing as a writer and what I need to improve on to make my stories better. I am not JK Rowling and therefore do not claim to own anything (except my own characters such as Zatora and her family). Here is the chapter and I hope you like it! **

Zatora was staring at her plate of food but wasn't remotely hungry. In fact, she had picked at it for the past hour but had found that her appetite this morning had completely vanished. The house seemed completely in a daze. Daniel was still in his sleeping clothes and Mathew was walking around the house trying to find everything he still needed to put in his trunk. Zatora was the only one who had her things by the door, but that was only because she had been ready to go since summer had began. This was Hogwarts and she wanted to know everything about it. Unfortunately now that the day had finally arrived she felt sick at the thought of leaving the house and getting on the train that would take her into the magical world.

Zatora played around with the food on her plate, her heart beating wildly against her chest as the hours turned into minutes, that soon turned into seconds that she would, be leaving. Leaving, what a strange word that was. She would, be leaving her adopted home, that was now nothing more than her life. The love she felt in this family was something that she had never dealt with until the day she had walked through the door. Now leaving the house seemed out of place, it was too long to be gone for. Every second made her want to bolt out of her seat and beg to be locked away and not allowed out of this house.

Home school, they must have heard of that one. She was tempted and yet, she wasn't moving. Zatora just sat stock still staring at the wall until it was time to go. "Zatora," her father called from the doorway, "lets put your stuff in the car and then you need to get buckled in so we can go to the train station."

Zatora got up numbly and nodded, and together with her father they dragged the trunk outside and placed it into the back of the car. After the trunk was stowed away she scrambled into the back of the car and got buckled in, making sure there was enough room for Daniel, Mathew, and David. The family was using the van today because this required the whole family going on a drive. There was also a regular car, but they only used that when they weren't all going and if it wasn't a big trip with the whole family.

Carefully playing with a lock of her hair she had to admit that the hardest part of the whole entire ordeal about leaving would have to be not seeing Freddy for a whole year.

* * *

"_Freddy, where are you, we need to talk?" Zatora called, searching under her bed for her not so little friend._

"_Talk about what?" she heard a soft hiss from behind her and she turned so quickly on the carpet that Zatora felt her knees begin to sting._

_Zatora grinned, "well, you know how I'm going to Hogwarts this year"_

"_Ooo, yes, I do" Freddy hissed. He had grown several inches long since she had first brought him to this house. He was still small, but now he was deffinately not a baby anymore. His tail wagged happily just like a puppy greeting an awaited master, "yes, isn't it going to be fun at Hogwarts? Me and you, together through the very end."_

"_Well, that's just the thing," Zatora sighed. This was was so difficult. She took a deep breath and said, "Freddy, it's not going to be me and you… not this year."_

"_What?"_

"_I can't take you," she whispered, her eyes becoming unfocused because of tears. She blinked furiously and continued, "snakes aren't allowed at Hogwarts. They only allow owls, cats, and toads."_

"_Why do scaly old toads get to go but not a friendly little old snake?" Freddy demanded, looking hurt._

_Zatora bit her lip, "I don't know, just don't give me that kind of a look. It's not my fault that you can't come, it's the rules."_

"_I thought we liked breaking rules," the snake insisted, his beedy eyes staring up at her._

"_Not this year. I don't want to get into trouble."_

"_Hmph, what if you get hurt, or something happens to you and I'm not there? I should be allowed to go."_

"_Freddy, I'm sorry—"_

"_Hmph," was the last word spoken by Freddy who slithered away under the bed._

_Zatora sat down on the floor, letting a few silent tears escape._

* * *

Zatora sighed deeply as her family climbed into the car and sat down next to her. Freddy had not showed up since that conversation. She was deffinately going to miss him while she was at Hogwarts. Daniel grinned at her once he was buckled in and said, "so, you ready to go to Hogwarts?"

"Not really," Zatora said, "I'm a little nervous…"

"Ahh, don't worry," Mathew said, "you'll love Hogwarts, it's the best."

Zatora nodded, "I know, I'm just worried about… houses…"

Daniel and Mathew just smiled, before Mathew said, "don't worry about it so much, we'll love you no matter what. Although if you end up in Slytherin we might have to reconsider that statement."

Daniel deliberately nudged him in the ribs with his elbow causing Mathew to cry out in pain. Zatora, however, was looking alarmed and wasn't paying attention to her brothers fight. Once satisfied that Mathew had gotten the point, Daniel turned to Zatora only to find her gazing back horrified. "Don't listen to him, Zatora," Daniel said, "we would never reconsider our love for you. You're our sister no matter what happens, even if you're in Slytherin."

Mathew nodded, "yeah Zatora, I was just kidding."

Zatora let out a sigh of relief, "okay, good."

The trip to the train station was a quite one. Zatora watched the busy roads of London and the traffic that crowded the streets. All the sidewalks were crowded with people shopping for clothes and various other things in the earlier morning hours. They pulled into the parking lot of Kings Cross Station and everyone got out of the car to help put the trunks on carts.

Carefully wheeling her trunk into the station behind her mother Zatora couldn't help but loose a few of her nerves as they headed for the correct barrier. This was the extreamly easy part; getting onto the plateform 9¾'s was easy. Running through the solid looking wall and then appearing on the other side to a station full of wizarding and muggle families seeing their children off was a thrill. Just the fact that this was even possible was the fun part. Zatora felt her heart quicken with both excitement and nerves as they came up to the barrier.

"All right," she heard her father say, "Heather, you take Zatora and David through first. Mathew, Daniel, and I will come after you've gone."

Her mother nodded grabbing David's hand who was attempting to get to the barrier. David, though despite the fact he was young, knew more about the wizarding world that was good for him. He had already begged to be allowed to come with the rest but had been constantly turned down. While they walked through the barrier David's lower lip began to tremble.

"But I want to go too," David whinned, his small eyes filling up with tears.

"You're not old enough to go," his mother said as they came out on the other side to see a bright red steam engine in front of them.

"Please let me go, they can make an exception," David said wiping the tears from his face, "you cuold pack me into one of their trunks or something. Please let me go Mum, please!"

"No, David," she sighed as she turned to see her husband and oldest sons walking through the gateway.

"Hey David," Zatora said kneeling down on the ground next to her little brother, "I promise I'll write to you every week to keep you up to date on what's going on at school."

David smiled, "okay, Zatora."

"Good," Zatora said happily, "besides you're going to be starting school too in a little while so you'll be busy without us."

David nodded as Mathew and Daniel made their way over to them. Mathew piered over the heads and said excitedly, "Mum, I can see Isaac and Michel, can I go to them, please?"

"Oh, all right," she said, "but take you're things with you and be good at school this year will you?" She gave Mathew a quick hug and then watched him walk through the crowd with his friends before turning on her other children.

"Now, Daniel, will you watch over Zatora and make sure she's all right?"

"Don't worry Mum, she'll be fine." Daniel said reassuringly.

"I don't know," she said, giving Zatora a hug and stroking her black hair. Zatora looked at Daniel and gave him a look that read: help.

"Look," Daniel said, heaving his trunk towards the train, "I'll sit with her for this trip instead of with my friends. If she meets someone I'll ask her before I leave if it's all right if I go. I'll watch over her Mum, don't worry so much. Besides, if you don't let her go David'll jump on the train."

Zatora found herself out of her mother's grip so fast she was stunned. She turned to find her mother grabbing David who had been extreamly close to getting onto the train and not coming off. "Mum," David cried, tears begining to fall down his cheeks in a steady stream, "let go." Their mother simple tightened her grip on his hand and dragged him back over to their father where he picked David up and swung him over his shoulder.

"Be safe," he muttered to Daniel before giving him a one armed hug. He then turned to Zatora and said sternly, "be good and stay out of trouble."

"I always stay out of trouble Dad," Zatora said hugging her father. She backed away and Daniel led her off towards the train. They dragged both trunks onto the train and then closed the door as the whistle sounded. Daniel pointed to where their mother and father stood with David waving at them. They waved enthuisiastically as the train began to move, they were moving farther away and suddenly their parents and David were out of sight.

"Come on," Daniel said, "lets find a good seat." He picked up the end of his trunk and began dragging it down the corridor looking for a free compartment.

Zatora quickly grabbed her trunk and followed suite. She looked in at the different people on the train. Some of the students were older, talking with old time friends they had made over the years. In other compartments some students were sitting in theirs seats nervously, watching the scenery fly past the windows. As they passed a compartment Zatora stopped and said excitedly, "hey, Daniel, I know that girl in this compartment. She was the shop where I got my robes fitted. Let's see if we can sit here, she looks like she's alone."

"All right," Daniel said shrugging.

With out a second thought Zatora opened the door and the girl she had met in the store looked up. She grinned and said, "hey, Zatora isn't it?"

"Yeah, hi Padma," Zatora said, as Daniel followed behind her, "can we sit with you?"

"Sure, that's fine," Padma said excitedly, "my sister went off with one of her friends who's starting Hogwarts this year too. They wanted to go up the train to see if they knew anyone else."

"Oh, so you don't know anyone else?" Zatora asked curiously.

"Nah, I'm really shy and my twin sister is really talkative. Naturally, she has all the friends."

Zatora opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when the compartment door was opened by a group of older girls and boys. They were looking at Daniel happily and one of the girls giggled, "hey Daniel, what's up?"

"Nothing really," Daniel said shrugging, "just watching over my sister."

"Oh, that's a shame… we were hoping you could come and sit with us."

Daniel looked at his shoes looking a little forlorn as the group moved towards the door. Swiftly Zatora said, "wait, Daniel, go ahead and go with them. I'll be okay here with Padma. I don't mind, we'll be okay. We're in the same year so we'll know where to go when the train stops. Go with your friends Daniel."

Daniel looked up and smiled, "thanks Zatora." He jumped up and ran out of the compartment after his friends. Zatora sat back in her seat and said, "right, well that's over. Don't worry too much about not having alot of friends, I don't have any friends except my brothers and two other boys, but I haven't been able to stay in contact with."

"Really?" Padma asked cheering up a bit.

The two girls continued talking as the train sped past different green hills and trees. When the witch who pushed the trolley came by both girls got up and bought something to eat. Zatora returned to her seat with several choclate frogs and a two pumpkin pasties. She opened a frog and quickly snatched it before it made an escape. Padma sat back down with her own lunch and asked, "so how many brothers do you have?"

"Three," Zatora said brightly, "what about you, have any other brothers or sisters besides your twin?"

"Nope, just me and my sister," Padma said quietly, "so what house do you think you'll be in?"

"I don't know," Zatora replied, "I would like to be in Gryffindor, but any house is good for me… I'm not too sure about Slytherin but I guess if I'm placed there I'll live."

"I don't care where I'm placed as long as I can focus on my studies," Padma nodded, opening a pack of blowing gum.

The compartment door was suddenly opened and a group of girls walked into the compartment. They were all chattering away madly and Padma and Zatora both exchanged looks of shock. One of the girls in the front looked around the compartment and said, "hi, who are you two?"

"I'm Padma Patil," Padma said quietly, moving closer to the window.

"Zatora Varner," Zatora replied watching the girls cautiously.

"Pansy Parkinson," the girl said sitting down rather quickly, "these are a few girls I've met through out the train. So, this is a nice compartment, although it's rather empty. Are you two trying to be quiet and shy or something?"

"No," the two girls said looking at each other again. Padma cleared her throat and said, "we were just talking with each other, we hadn't really had the urge to leave our compartment yet."

"That's a shame," Pansy said airily, "my father says that it's always important to make friends, you never know when they come in handy but you always want to make friends that'll also make you look good."

"Oh," Zatora said slightly taken aback.

"Don't look so worried," the girl continued as if Padma and Zatora were way behind on things, "it's okay if you're shy, I totally understand that. I used to be shy too, until I got my first friend, but she was a muggle so we don't talk anymore. Well, I suppose I'll see you two around at Hogwarts, bye." With that the girl got up and walked out of the compartment with the other girls.

"That was interesting," Padma noted as the compartment door closed behind her, "she seemed overly friendly… and full of herself."

"Yeah, I think she thought we weren't interesting enough," Zatora said quietly.

"You know, I think I'm going to change into my robes, what about you?"

"That's a good idea."

Together the two girls pulled out their robes as the scenery outside grew darker as the sun set. The lights on the train flickered on and Zatora and Padma talked nervously as the train began to slow down pulling into the station. They joined the crowd outside the compartment and made their way to an exit. Once outside Zatora could hear someone calling, further down the plateform, "'irst years, this way, 'irst years."

"Come on," Padma said, and she grabbed Zatora's hand and led her through the crowd to the rest of the people their age. Zatora gazed at the owner of the voice that had been calling the first years over to where they were and felt her jaw drop. The man was tall, very tall, twice as tall as a normal man, with black wild hair and beard. She closed her mouth with a snap, now she was just being rude. Who cared if you were a giant or not? He seemed friendly enough and with that she put aside her fear of the possibility of crossing his bad side.

"this way, the boats are down here. Yeh'll be able to see 'Ogwarts in just a minute." The giant said leading them down a dirt path of gravel.

Padma gasped audibly next to Zatora as Hogwarts came into view. All the windows were lighted and was reflected in the peaceful lake that led to the castle. Zatora couldn't take her eyes off it as she stepped into one of the boats with Padma and Pansy Parkinson and another red headed girl. Her eyes were transfixed on the towers and the flickering lights in some of the windows. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen and she longed to see the beauty that was inside of it's walls. She couldn't imagine Hogwarts not being beautiful if it could this majestic on the outside.

As soon as the boats came to the dock under the school the first years clambered out of the boats. Zatora and Padma stayed close together as the man led them up some stone steps and to a wooden door. He knocked on the door and it was answered by a very strict looking witch.

"The firs'-years, Professor Mcgonagall."

"Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here."

The witch took over from the door and led them through the Entrance Hall. Zatora felt her breath catch in her chest as she starred at the entrance hall. It was exquiste; it deffinately was large enough for any amount of people and the grand staircase was absolutely beautiful and obviously made out of marble.

They followed the Professor McGonagall into an empty room where she turned and adressed them. "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts—"

Zatora spaced out completely as Professor McGonagall continued talking. Another family? It appeared to her that no matter what she did she couldn't keep just one. Something like your family? What was that suppose to mean? What if she was placed in a house that didn't turn out to be much of a family at all? She shuddered, thinking back to the orphanage and wondered if she would turn into yet another outcast. The family she was with now were in Gryffindor, would she be placed with them so as to not split up the family or would she end up somewhere else? If she did end up somewhere else did that mean that she wasn't suppose to be with in their family?

"—I will return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

Shaking her head swiftly she watched as the witch left the room leaving the first years alone in the room. She could see other students looking anxious and others staring around the room in silent wonder. Zatora glanced over at Padma who was also looking around the room until she suddenly let out a shriek. Looking up Zatora felt her jaw drop yet again.

Ghosts were floating through the wall and into the room chattering away with each other. The rest of the students were now watching them apprehensively, as they continued floating. She recalled what her brothers had told her about the ghosts.

"Oh they're friendly, and there's a house ghost for every different house," Mathew had said his voice reviberating in her mind, "but I wouldn't get too near them. If they touch you or glide through you it feels extreamly odd. Really cold, so unless you enjoy being cold I wouldn't touch them."

She watched as they floated out of the room wonder which ghost was for which house. Suddenly she hear Professor McGongall's voice instructing them to form into a line and that it was time for the sorting to begin. Zatora got into line behind Padma and followed her out of the hall and into the Great Hall.

The first thought that crossed her mind was that there were too many people watching. The next thing Zatora noted was that the Great Hall was brillant. The candles were floating above them in midair, and the cieling looked like the night sky outside. A few stars twinkled brightly down at her and she felt her heart leap as she spotted a shooting star streaking across the sky. Golden plates were gleaming wating to be filled with food and the older students were watching curiously.

They came to a hault in front a stool with a old looking wizard's hat sitting on top of it. Zatora watched it curiously waiting for it to begin singing. Her brothers had explained everything to her about the sorting. The hat would sing and then they would get called up so the hat could tell them which house they belonged in. Through the line she could just make out the old hat sitting on a stool and gazed at it catiously. Suddenly it's mouth opened and began to sing.

_Oh you may not think me pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The great hall burst into applause as the hat finished his song. Zatora didn't know if she should clap or just be happy that the song had ended. Finally she settled with a polite quick smile and watched as Professor McGonagall waited for the last unsettled clapping to settle down. She cleared her voice and said, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."

Professor McGonagall began to call names off of a list. The hat was placed on the person's head and then the hat would call out which house they belonged in. Zatora shifted nervously glancing quick glances around the room. Every time the hat shouted out a house a table would burst into applause according to the house that was called. She watched as student after student got sorted and she become increasingly nervous.

Biting her lip she glanced around the room again. There was a name called that she completely missed and suddenly a hushed silence fell over the Great Hall. She looked around confused and saw as a young boy with black hair make his way up to the stool. The students around her were whispering is awe and excitement as they watched the boy. Zatora felt absolutely sorry for the boy, everyone talking about him behind his back. She spaced out again when she noticed how few first years there were left and went back to being extreamly restless.

When the boy was finally sorted the house litterally burst with happiness. She looked around shocked as people were standing and applausing as the boy came and joined the table. The boy sank down into a free place as people continued to clap and cheer. Finally they settled down and the next student was called up.

They were getting down the list of last names faster then what Zatora found necessary. Thomas, Dean was sorted into Gryffinodr and then suddenly, with out warning, "Varner, Zatora."

Zatora lifted her head slightly and walked nervously but determined to the hat. She sat down on the stool and put the hat on top of her head which sank down over her face several inches. Almost at once a voice said, "Ahh, what's this? Another heir of Slytherin?"

_Excuse me?_ Zatora thought confused.

"Yes, yet another one," the voice said. "The same blood flows through your veins. I also see courage but fear of doing the wrong thing. Beauty, grace, but deffinately not perfect. Far from it, you have much to learn. I know just where you belong; there's no question you belong in—SLYTHERIN!"

She took the hat off stunned and made her way over to the table that was applausing her. _Slytherin?_ Zatora thought numbly as she sat down in an empty seat next to the girl who had walked into her compartment earlier that day. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table and could almost see Daniel and Mathew whispering together. They were talking about her, she just knew that they were. Finally the last person was sorted and the headmaster stood up but she didn't hear a word he was saying. Suddenly she found the plates in front of her filled with food and she began eating without even showing the slightest shine of shock that the plates had just been empty moments before.

Zatora ate numbly at first thinking things through. Slytherin couldn't be all that bad, it looked somewhat friendly and the girl Pansy seemed to be wanting to start up a conversation with her. Most of the people around her were talking and there was a group of three guys laughing a few seats away from her on the opposite side of the table. She played with her food a little before taking another bite and chewing it slowly in her mouth. It wasn't like it mattered what house she was in, she wasn't about to become evil, she was friendly and nice and her brothers would still love her, that's what Danil had said.

She looked up at the staff table and recieved a shock when she found Professor Dumbledore watching her. Swiftly she looked back down at her food feeling frightened and slightly concerned that he was looking directly at her. When she dared to glance up at the staff again he was talking with one of the other teachers in the opposite direction. Maybe he had just been looking around the room and she had looked up at the wrong time.

Pansy cleared her voice and Zatora looked at her. She played with her food for a little and said, "so, we're in the same house?"

"Yeah," Zatora said, "have all your family been in this house or are you the first?"

"Nah, I'm a pureblood and my family fancy's the dark arts. Did you know that Salazar Slytherin fancied the dark arts along with You-Know-Who?"

"You-Know-Who?" Zatora asked confused taking another bite of food.

"You can't honestly tell me you don't know about the Dark Lord?" The blonde who was sitting some seats a way said in surprise having listened in to this conversation.

"I can say that I have no idea what you're talking about." Zatora replied curtly.

"He was in power for the longest time," Pansy replied, "he favored the dark arts and killed muggles and mudbloods, wizards or witches who were born from muggles and all that. He was rising to power and that's when Harry Potter came in and stopped him. No one knows how he survived but he lived through the killing the curse and ever since then He's disappeared. There's more to it I'm sure, but I can't remember the complete story. That's a shortened version of it."

"All you need to know is the basic geest of the story," the boy with blonde hair said, "I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way. This is Crabbe and Goyle." He indicated to the two boys sitting with him who looked extreamly big for the age, as if they were some kind of body gaurd.

"Zatora," she said smoothly, turning her attention back to Pansy. "So, why do we call him You-Know-Who?"

"We just don't speak his name," Pansy shrugged, "he scared alot of people. It was a horrible time to live in. Depending on your parents, though, if you supported him it wasn't too bad until his downfall. Then everyone had to be careful. Why don't you know any of this, don't you come from a wizarding family?"

"Of course I do," Zatora said sharply, "they just never mentioned it, that's all."

"Oh," Pansy said, "I'm sorry, that was kind of rude of me."

_Rude is an understatement_, Zatora thought but found she couldn't keep her anger, "It's all right, you didn't know."

The two girls continued to talk through the rest of dinner and all the way through dessert. She notticed the blonde boy starring at her quite a bit but she decided to ignore him for the time being and kept getting to know Pansy better. By the time the desserts disappeared the two girls were smiling having finally made a good start at friendship. The headmaster told them that the third corridor was out of bounds and all the warning of not going into the Forbidden Forest.

The thing that frightened Zatora the most was when she suddenly found the school singing the school song. Everyone was off key, off tempo, and the Slytherin's all had looks on their faces as if they would rather die then sing the whole song. Some were singing just because they were use to it while others merely lip sung and quickly ended that as if they had choosen an extreamly fast tune to sing it to. The first years along the Slytherin table were all looking at each other as if they had entered some mad house. Zatora hesitantly leaned over to Pansy and asked, "this is insane."

"Agreed," she said softly starring around at everyone singing."

Finally the song was over and they were excused to leave. Zatora turned to Pansy and asked, "where do you suppose we go?"

She shook her head and suddenly she heard a voice saying, "first years, over here, if you please."

Zatora turned to see a young man waiting for the first years near the middle of the table. Nervously everyone crowded up to him and he said, "I'm one of the Slytherin prefects, I'm going to show you how to get to our common room and give you the password. Follow me, if you will."

With that he turned and led them out of the Great Hall, past some frightened looking Hufflepuff first years, and straight to the door across from the Great Hall. "This is the way to the dungeons. We probably have the easiest route to a common room, not counting the Hufflepuffs, from the Great Hall. Potions is also held in the Dungeons and our head of house, Professor Snape, has his off here on your right."

They passed a pure black door on their right but continued walking further down into the dungeons. It was colder down here and they were all shivering as they followed the prefect to their common room, hardly paying any attention to all the turns they took. Finally, when Zatora's feet and hands were beginning to feel like they would never be warm again, they came to a hault in front of a door. The prefect said, "well, here we are. The password, for now, is Basilisk Venom."

The door clicked open and the prefect led them into the common room. Zatora had to admit that it was what she would have called fancy. The black leather couchs were close to the fire along with some other black leather chairs. There was also a large table by the windows with several chairs and papers on in it, some of them looked like the Daily Prophet. A notice board near the door and then there was a hallway on the right hand side. The prefect turned to face them and said, "this is the common room. You will find yourself most likely doing homework here alot or in the library. Down the hallway are the dormitories. The girls will turn right at the end and go up the stairwall there while the boys will go left. Any other questions or help you can always find one of the four prefects, including myself, around Hogwarts somewhere. There is also Professor Snape. Have a good evening."

With that he leaned against the wall, looking pretty cool, watching the first years all walk towards the dormitories. Zatora stuck close to Pansy and the other girls in their year. Everyone was suddenly rather talkative as they climbed the stairs to their room. Finally they came to a room that had a sign that read: first year, girls.

They entered to find six beds all spaced around the room at intervals. Everyone went their seperate way once their trunks had been located. Zatora found that she was next to Pansy and and the far wall seeing as the room was square. She opened her trunk and let out a horrified gasp. Several of the girls looked up but she didn't answer their questioning looks. Zatora merely stared down into the beady eyes that belonged to Freddy.

**Okay, so I am in an extreamly odd mood and decided what the heck, lets end it with a cliff hanger. Let me know what you think. Reviews are kindly welcomed. The good news is Chapter nine is now going to have to be written because I can't even stand the suspense to what just happened. I thought there were boring parts in this, so let me know what you think. I will promise that the next chapter is going to be better. We're going to deal with Freddy sneaking along, Zatora making more friends, and talking to her brothers, not to mentions little glimpes of classes. Okay, I can hear everyone telling me to stop rambling so I'm going to say: thanks for reading! Hermione-Hermyown**

***Little Note: the underlined portions are taken from the book. I tried not to include too much from the book and focus on Zatora's thinking but there was just some stuff that was said that couldn't be avoided. Most of this can be found in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. **


	9. Draco Malfoy

Chapter 9 – Draco Malfoy

**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated sooner. Believe me I've been trying, but there's been a bit of family matters going on so it's been really hard, not to mention school on top of it. Finally I have this finished though, so it should be good. I'm working really hard to have time to write, but I am really busy so please don't hate me. Okay, I'm done rambling. I hope you enjoy chapter nine!**

Zatora's anger towards Freddy was still present the following morning even though she could hear him humming happily under her bed. She was absolutely furious that he had dared to sneak into her trunk with out her notice and come to Hogwarts. The only good thing was that the other girls in her year weren't afraid of him. In fact, most of the girls were entranced at just the thought of having a snake for a pet. Although this meant that Freddy wasn't about to be handed in Zatora determinedly walked down to breakfast with Pansy without so much as a glance in his direction.

Despite her anger towards Freddy it soon disappeared after her first round of lessons that day. The first years Slytherins marched off to Herbology bright and early along with the Ravenclaws. Once inside Greenhouse one Professor Sprout called for their silence.

"Welcome class," she called as the noise died down at once. "Herbology is the study of magical plants. This topic is highly important because most of these plants are used in potion making, not to mention hold other extraordinary powers. Today we'll be pruning Dragon Snaps, dangerous little plants. They have highly poisonous bites so you'll want to use your protective dragon hide gloves. Four people to a table, off you go."

Zatora and Pansy made their way to free table and were soon joined by Padma and, to Zatora's surprise, Draco. When Draco came over to them Pansy dropped her book clumsily and dived for it, managing to catch it before it hit the ground. With that they set about pruning the Dragon Snaps, flowers with dragon shaped heads which took it in turns to try and sink their sharp teeth into their gloves.

Padma smiled at Zatora, "so the hat decided on Slytherin?"

"Yeah," Zatora nodded, "I know about their history from my brothers. The whole: produced the most evil wizards and how rude the lot is and the rest of that kind of stuff."

Padma rolled her eyes, "I don't think you're going to turn out like that. You're different, you aren't like… I know you aren't evil, I know it I would have sensed it. I can sense that kind of stuff it's probably the seer blood line in my family. It's distant but both my sister and I have it. It's not very strong though, but some aspects are stronger then others."

"Look," Zatora said quickly, "if you don't want to hang out with me anymore because of the whole Slytherin thing I'll understand, it's just I really like you as a friend. You were the first girl, other then my mom that I actually got along with…"

The silence that followed this was deafening. Finally Padma's face lit up, "of course I still want to be friends."

Zatora grinned and then said, "All right then, friends it is. Okay, hang on this is Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy. I don't know if you've met them yet, but they're some fellow Slytherin's."

Pansy smiled and said, "I think my mom knows your dad or something from work."

"In the Ministry of Magic," Padma nodded, "yeah."

Draco shrugged slightly and Zatora noticed that he was merely starring at her. She looked away quickly, allowing her hair to shield her face and continued pruning the Dragon Snap with dove at her hand viciously. She could hear Padma and Pansy talking to each other and hoped that it would be okay to hang out with both of them. Pansy was verily nice once you got to know her and Padma was probably the nicest person she had met by far. They seemed to be getting along for the most part so she figured it was going to be all right after a while. The look on Draco's face though…

"Ow!" Zatora gasped as the Dragon Snap bit her exposed wrist. She pulled back her hands sharply, starring down at the tiny bite marks on her wrist that was beginning to bleed. Almost instantly her vision blurred for a split second and the room spun wildly for a few seconds. Disoriented she took a few dazed steps backwards trying to gain her balance again. Without even realizing she had fallen she found herself on the floor, the voices around her echoing slightly.

"Zatora! Zatora, are you alright?"

"Professor Sprout, help, Zatora's been bitten I think."

"Zatora can you hear me? Zatora…"

"Zatora?"

Zatora groaned, her head lying on something soft but how she got there she didn't know. She blinked when she opened her eyes and put a hand to her head groggily. Gingerly she sat up and found herself being hugged by someone. Taken aback she said weakly, "what-?"

"Oh Zatora," Padma said gleefully, "you're all right, I was so worried about you all day, so were the other Slytherins. It was so scary, one minute you were fine and then next…"

Pansy stepped forward, "how are you feeling?"

"ugh," Zatora said lying back down again, "so what happened?"

"Well," Pansy said hesitantly, "Padma and I were talking and then I heard a noise behind me and you had fallen… Padma panicked considerably and Draco called for help. If you had only been awake, he was so brave you know."

"I've missed all the classes except that one?" Zatora asked sitting up.

"Well, Professor Sprout had Hagrid come and bring you up to the Hospital Wing, we just finished dinner." Padma said in a whisper.

Zatora sighed, "What a way to start out the school year."

"I still don't get why Draco couldn't have brought you up here," Pansy said angrily, "he was willing to carry you all the way but Professor had that _giant_ carry you up."

"I'm not complaining," Zatora said sharply, "I should probably go and thank him."

The nurse suddenly came around a corner, "oh dear, you're awake. Well, you two, she needs to get plenty of rest tonight. Out, or I'll be putting you both in detention."

Padma and Pansy both got up and left hurriedly Padma sending a small smile over her back. They weren't walking close together, but Zatora didn't care. If they both wanted to be her friend they would have to accept that that meant they had to hang out together at times. The nurse came over to her and bustled about, "my goodness; can't even go one day and the lot are in here with either injuries or being sick. Well, you've had a nasty day, what, getting bitten and all. My name's Madam Pomfrey and if you need anything at all let me know. Drink this potion and then go back to sleep, it's already really late."

Zatora sipped her potion until it was gone and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep…

By the next morning Zatora was feeling up to scratch again. She thanked the nurse and sped out of the Hospital Wing and down to breakfast, until she realized that she had no idea which was breakfast was. It took her about an hour to find her way down to the Great Hall, which gave her five minutes to eat until the bell would ring signaling that they should head to class. Shoving down a few mouthfuls of porridge she ran out of the hall, grabbed her bag from the dormitory, and ran up to Transfiguration. She flew in just before the late bell rang and slid into a seat next to Millicent Bulstrode.

Transfiguration proved to be a slightly bigger challenge then Zatora had dreamed about. She found the subject fascinating but struggled her way through the spells. After Transfiguration they all traipsed off to History of Magic, which was probably the best place for a nap. Most of the class was out after Professor Binn's finished his first sentence. Zatora found it was easier to study from text books rather then listen to the ghost drown on about the Goblin Wars. She would stay up for hours with the girls in her year studying, talking, and listening to the gossips flying around the room.

Zatora was back on speaking terms with Freddy. After being bitten in Herbology she had to admit that having him there was a plus. He had been so worried about her that he had taken the liberty to slip into her bag and get carried to each of her lessons. In all honesty, Zatora found his company reassuring; he had truly been concerned about her the most. She would whisper things to him at night, talking about school, her friends, the classes she was taking, and sometimes ask things about homework. She even told Freddy about her growing anxiety about her brothers; she hadn't been able to talk to them since the day of the Sorting and since then she had been able to find them to talk to them. Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought that maybe her brothers hated her now. Although she was worried about this, Zatora didn't have time to dwell on her thoughts. She had homework and until the weekend she wouldn't be able to really be able to talk to them.

Before she knew it Friday had rolled around. Zatora was so astonished that when Freddy told her she dropped her book bag. Freddy hissed angrily, as his head poked out of her bag, his beady eyes watering with pain. Zatora gasped and picked him up, "I'm sorry, I just can't believe its Friday already."

"I noticed," Freddy said hesitantly.

"I really am sorry about dropping you; you're not badly hurt are you?"

"No, it was just my tail that got squashed." Freddy said smiling.

Zatora stroked his head gently and put him down on the bed. "Why don't you stay here today, you need a break."

"Really? I mean, I would never dream of staying here," Freddy said bravely.

"Freddy," Zatora said sternly but letting a small giggle escape her lips.

"Oh all right," Freddy said curling up, "but you'd better stay out of trouble."

"I will, don't worry about it."

With that she grabbed her bag and ran to catch up with Pansy, Millicent, Tracey, Nina, and Daphne. Together the girls walked down to breakfast, laugh shrilly as the walked into the Great Hall. Zatora sat down next to Tracey and said, "Today, we have potions and a free afternoon today, and then at Midnight we have star gazing."

"Ugh," Daphne whined, "not star gazing again. I heard the other houses only have to go once a week, why do we have it twice this week?"

Pansy shrugged, "oh well, I guess we have to go."

"Does that mean we're staying up late again tonight," Millicent asked, pouring hot milk on her cereal.

"Duh," Pansy said commandingly. Pansy had climbed to being the ring leader of the group of girls almost naturally. Zatora really didn't mind this, she was best-friends with most of the girls now and Pansy and Zatora were too close to let a little leadership, get in between their friendship.

"All right," Zatora said catching sight of a giant form walking out of the Great Hall. She suddenly remembered that it was Hagrid who had brought her to the Hospital Wing.

Zatora jumped to her feet, "I'll see you down in Potions then."

"But what about breakfast," Pansy called after her, but Zatora merely ignored her.

She ran quickly through the crowd and got to the entrance hall just as Hagrid was getting to the door. "Excuse me," she called, "Hagrid, excuse me!"

The man turned to look at her as she came to a halt in front of him. She held back her slight fear of being yelled at and said, "thank you, Hagrid, for taking me to the Hospital Wing on Monday."

"Oh, it was no problem." Hagrid replied, waving his hand idly.

"Well, I just wanted to say thanks." Zatora said.

"You seem pretty nice for a Slytherin," Hagrid commented, "You sure the hat didn't make a mistake?"

Zatora laughed, "Nope, the hat knew what it was doing." She turned around and whispered, "Or at least, I think the hat knew what it was doing."

She walked off hastily down to the Potion's classroom. Zatora waited outside for her other friends to show up, watching Slytherin's and Gryffindor's make their way down the steps. Pansy came up to her and swung her hair over her shoulder, "so what was that all about? Leaving without, hardly touching your breakfast?

"I just needed to tell Hagrid thank you," Zatora replied smiling.

"You actually told _him_ thank you?" Pansy asked staring at her.

"Yeah," Zatora said dumbstruck, "what's wrong with that?"

"Well, you didn't tell Draco thank you."

"Why did I have to tell Draco thank you, he didn't really do anything to help?"

"He offered to carry you to the school all on his own."

"So?"

"So, you should tell him thank you for at least thinking about helping." Pansy said, glancing up to find Malfoy.

"See, he's watching you, again," Pansy hissed, "he probably thought you were being rude."

"Why do I care?" Zatora hissed back watching Draco out of the corner of her eyes. "He's just a friend, just like you are my friend. Besides, the thank you was implied when I collapsed."

Pansy opened her mouth to retort but closed it when Professor Snape, head of Slytherin house, swept to the door and opened it for them. Pansy moved quickly into the room, moving ahead to talk to Daphne in a constrained whisper. Zatora rolled her eyes and walked into the room taking a seat alone, feeling angry and upset. She didn't have to thank Draco, but if she got the chance she would. Zatora hated the feeling of being angry at her friends or, in some cases, feeling like she had made her friends angry in some way.

She was still brooding in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that Draco Malfoy was sitting next to her setting up his cauldron. Zatora started when Draco cleared his voice pleasantly. He was smiling at her and Zatora moved back sharply because they happened to be very close. She half smiled and said, "Hello, Draco."

"Hi Zatora," Draco said pleasantly.

"You know," Zatora said deciding to appease Pansy anyway, "I never told you thank you for offering to help bring me to the castle… During Herbology I mean."

"Don't worry about it." Draco said continuing to set up his cauldron.

Zatora frowned slightly, "are you sure there's no catch to that?"

"Well," Draco said, his voice sounding casual and innocent. "You could go out with me."

"Go out with you?" Zatora asked perplexed.

"As in, on a date," Draco said smoothly and confidently.

Zatora realized a split second too late that there was a look of complete and utter disgust on her face. She decided that instead of hiding this she would just play with the look and say, "Ew!"

"Excuse me?" Draco said sounding slightly amused. "What, you don't honestly think that could be counted as an answer."

"That's disgusting," Zatora said swiftly, "and if that isn't an answer then no, I will not go out with you. It's one thing if we're friends it's another thing if we're dating by the age of eleven."

Draco's smile faltered and he stared at Zatora dumbstruck. He blinked, "so you aren't going to go out with me? You do realize that I'm not going to give up on this until you do go out with me. If you haven't noticed, half the boy population in our year likes you."

"Why would they like me?" Zatora asked, "I'm not any different then the other girls in our year."

"Oh yes," Draco laughed, "you are."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means that you're drop dead beautiful and you're only eleven. Every guy adores you, almost, and you've got a great personality to boot. Any boy would die for the chance to take you on your first date, not to mention," Draco added in a whisper as Professor Sanpe began teaching, "be the first one to kiss you."

"That's just," Zatora spluttered, "that's completely untrue."

"You don't believe me? Fine then, you pay a little more attention to what those guys are doing when you pass them in the hall, why don't you?"

Zatora shook her head at him and focused her attention of Professor's Snapes instructions on how to make the potion for the day. She ignored Draco for the rest of class, silently and feverishly working on her potion, trying to perfect it as much she could. When class was finally over Zatora dashed to clean up all her possessions. Unfortunately Draco was still working on his cauldron by the time she got back. He smiled at her in a friendly way and Zatora relaxed slightly. She bent down and picked up her bag, then suddenly, without any warning, Draco asked, "Will you please go out with me, Zatora?"

Zatora shook her head exasperatedly before answering, "I'm sorry, but I will not go out with you even if I was paid a million galleons. I'm just not interested in you in that way. Now will you please leave me alone?" With that Zatora ran from the potions room to catch up with her other friends leaving a very confused Draco in her wake.

With the words _every guy adores you_ running through her head Zatora began to watch the boys in the school very carefully. She had, of course, been very surprised to find that Draco was indeed right. Everywhere she went, to her classes, to the bathroom, to dinner, to the common room, there was always one or more guys watching her like a hawk. As if they were waiting for her to trip or get hurt so they could play the hero. This startled her greatly but not only did it startle her but made her realize the usefulness of the situation. She simply refused to go on a date with Draco Malfoy in her lifetime, she knew that if she could only convince a few guys that he was bothering her they would fly to her rescue and she could avoid a messy situation. With this thought in mind, she decided that she would test out her new abilities when she had the chance.

Her chance appeared three weeks after Draco had pointed this fact out to her on a beautiful Saturday morning. Zatora had been enjoying herself in the common room, relishing the fact that she had finished her homework early when Draco had walked down from his dormitory. He had looked at her meaningfully and began making his way towards her but Zatora ran for it. Now that she was away from the common room she could relax again in the hall. There were a couple of boys down at the end of the corridor but they weren't really bothering her. She sat down and thought happily _for once no Draco_. Savoring the thought of finally having some peace and quiet she sat down on the floor, her back pressed up against the wall, her eyes shut, embracing the moment…

"Hello," said a familiar drawling voice.

Zatora's eyes flashed open at once and she stood up sharply when she found Draco Malfoy standing right in front of her. She sighed and pushed her hair out of her voice and said angrily, "what do you want?"

"I just want to hang out with you, is that a sin?" Draco asked, an amused grin spreading over his face.

"No."

"Well then," Draco said pleasantly, "there's nothing wrong about this."

Zatora bit her lip and said swiftly, "I see something wrong with this."

"What's wrong with this picture then, oh smart one?"

"You are driving me insane!" Zatora said hastily, "would you just stop following me and leave me alone? I'm not going to go out with you, no matter how hard you try. I don't like you, nor will I ever like you. Just back up several notches and we may have a good friendship but this is going overboard."

"I'm not following you," Draco said, "we have classes together, I can't help that one. You happened to be in the hall I walked into to, so I figured why not, and to top it off—"

"You're lying," Zatora said angrily, "you never leave Crabbe and Goyle and here you are, alone in the hall, without them. It's obvious you followed me out of the common room."

Draco opened his mouth to reply when another, deeper, male voice asked, "is there anything wrong here?"

Draco and Zatora turned to find the boys that had been standing at the end of the hall were staring at them. Draco took a hesitant step backwards and then said, "no, of course there isn't."

Some of the boys exchanged looks and the same boy said, "didn't look like there wasn't anything wrong from what we were seeing. Is he bothering you, darling?"

Draco shook his head but Zatora nodded firmly, giving them her best 'be sorry for me' look. The guys all looked at Draco who took another step back. He looked straight at Zatora and mouthed, 'my point is proven boys are crawling over you."

Zatora rolled her eyes and mouthed back, 'I did it on purpose, stupid.' Draco's jaw dropped faster then Zatora had ever seen a jaw drop. He closed it quickly and the same boy who had spoken earlier said, "I suggest you leave before one of us goes and gets the first Professor we see."

Draco bolted up the corridor and around the corner and Zatora let out a sigh of relief. The guys immediately turned to look at her and she smiled, "thanks for that, he was really starting to get on my nerves."

"Don't worry about it," one of the guys said, "we were glad to help. You just keep you pretty little face out of trouble, won't you?"

"Oh, of course," Zatora said happily and she let the boys walk around her. She was just about to walk off to go celebrate that she had managed to get rid of Draco by using his own advice when she heard her name being called down the hall.

"Zatora!" Daniel's voice said and she spun on the spot to find Daniel marching up to her. She smiled at him innocently and through her arms around him and let out a small cry, "Daniel!"

"Hi to you too," Daniel said, hugging her back, "miss me much?"

"Of course I did," Zatora said blinking back tears, "I haven't seen you since Sunday."

"It's not my fault that the hat put you in the wrong house."

"I know," Zatora said, forlorn, her eyes brimming with tears again.

"Are we having a family reunion in the hall or something," Mathew asked as he walked out of the boy's bathroom, looking slightly confused.

"Mathew!" Zatora shouted and ran and hugged him tightly.

"Hi," Mathew gasped hugging Zatora tightly.

"I haven't seen you all week!" Zatora exclaimed, pulling quickly out of the hug and giving Mathew and Daniel accusatory looks.

"Again, doesn't help that you are always down in the dungeons when we are always up in the tallest tower of the castle," Daniel explained calmly.

"Oh…" Zatora said her voice dropping slightly with disappointment. "You probably don't want to be related to me anymore."

"What?"

"That's what Mathew said when he got on the train." Zatora said quietly, staring down at her feet. "Remember, he said, 'we'll love you no matter what although, if you end up in Slytherin, we might have to reconsider that statement."

"Mathew!" Daniel said angrily, "look what you've done."

"I was joking, why can't anyone in this family take a joke?" Mathew exclaimed giving Daniel a hurt look.

"That's not something you joke about to our younger sister!"

"It wasn't literal and since when is half the stuff I say actually literal?"

"Are you trying to say you lie all the time?"

"That's not what I meant – I mean that usually I joke about most things unless it's really serious."

"Well that was—"

"Would you two stop it?" Zatora shouted above her brothers rising voices. "Look, I get it. Mathew, its okay, now that I know that you were only joking around it's all good. Daniel, stop being so protective of me all the time, I'm a big girl and I'll get over it."

Daniel stared at her then sighed, "All right, so now that that's cleared up what else has been going on with you?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed," Zatora said thinking of Draco, "over half of the guys in this school find me attractive and want to go out with me."

"What?" Daniel and Mathew said at the same time.

"Yeah," Zatora said now feeling slightly nervous.

"They haven't done anything to you, have they?" Daniel said sharply, sounding much older then he looked.

"No, only Draco Malfoy… He's been driving me insane."

"Draco who?" Daniel asked looking confused.

Mathew coughed at an attempt at hiding a laugh, "you don't know who Draco Malfoy is?"

"No, I don't, Mathew, should I?" Daniel asked pleasantly.

"Well, he's only the most annoying Slytherin in his year," Mathew said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, and he happens to be in my year." Zatora said grimly.

"Do you need me to take him aside and talk to him, because I will," Daniel said threateningly.

Mathew and Zatora exchanged looks and Zatora said, "no, Daniel, no thanks."

"Because, honestly he shouldn't even think about kissing yet, he's not even fourteen yet and he's thinking about going out on a date with my little sister and—"

"Wait," Mathew said suddenly, "you're fourteen; does that mean its okay for you to think about kissing someone?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're fourteen so does that mean your kissing someone?"

"That's completely beside the point, Mathew."

"No, no it's not because she must be pretty right?"

"What ever are you talking about Mathew?" Daniel asked starting to turn pink.

"The girl you're kissing is pretty, right?" Mathew said grinning broadly.

"Ooo," Zatora said beginning to perk up a bit, "Daniel has a girlfriend, Daniel has a girlfriend! Wow, that's weird… So if I wanted to go out on a date in three years from now would you actually let me?"

"What, no!" Daniel said turning on Zatora rapidly. He then turned back to Mathew and said, "I do not have a girlfriend."

"That's why you're kissing in empty class rooms." Mathew said grinning, "That's also why all of second year found out about your kissing fancy with Allison Smith."

"How did all the second years find out about that?" Daniel said his jaw dropping slightly in awe.

Mathew shrugged, "we're good at this gossip thing. That's not what I'm after though; I want to know how much you paid her to make out with you."

"Paid her?" Daniel asked confused.

"Well, yeah… You must have paid her a lot because even I wouldn't kiss you, if I were a girl, for all the galleons you had."

Daniel turned bright red, "shut up, Mathew."

Mathew laughed and Zatora gave Daniel a happy smile. Mathew grinned, "Okay, I see you can't take a joke. Look, I need to go to the library and get some homework done that is due on Monday. I'll see you two around later."

Daniel stared after Mathew as he walked away heading for the library. He shook his head and then turned to Zatora who looked back at him innocently. Daniel sighed, "all right, so I have a girlfriend… I don't think it's going to last though, I feel like I don't know her very well and she's already talking about the next guy she wants to go out with."

"I'm sorry." Zatora said softly and gently hugged him. She backed away and said, "as much as I hate saying this, I think I have to go back to the Slytherin common room."

Zatora turned and was just beginning to walk off when Daniel caught her shoulder and turned her around. He stared deeply into her eyes and said, "don't let him get to you, all right? Don't let that Draco Malfoy talk you into one of her games to get you hurt. Keep your nose out of trouble so I don't have to worry about your safety, all right? I love you too much to want to see you get hurt."

Zatora stared back, her eyes conveying her utter amazement. For several long minutes they stared at each other, brother and sister, trying to understand each other. Finally Zatora nodded numbly and said, "don't worry, I'm not about to go out with him nor am I about to go out with any guy. I'll be okay and I promise to keep you updated and let you know if I need you."

Daniel nodded and released her arm and with that Zatora walked back down to her common room, a new sense of courage that only a Gryffindor could give emanating about her.

**Okay, what did you think? Let me know. I may not update for a while. I'll try to write but I've got a lot of work to do that needs to be done within the next two to three weeks before I'll be able to concentrate on this fanfiction or anything else for that matter. I'm sorry, it stinks, but school comes first and right now I need to focus on school. Just bear with me and know that as soon as I'm caught up to date I'll be back to writing. Until then I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks again for the reviews and be on the look out for updates ASAP! **

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	10. Thirteenth Sleepover

Chapter 10 – Thirteenth Sleepover

**Okay, I'm so sorry that it's taken me forever to update! Seriously, I am – but school is out now and I got all caught up with school (thank heavens) so I'm back to writing. Anyway, hopefully this chapter will get everyone to forgive me. I would also like to add that I've managed to get to chapter 10! Yay, this is the furthest I've ever gotten with a fanfiction. All right, here's the chapter.**

Zatora lay on her stomach with a pillow wrapped tightly underneath her facing her best friend Padma. It was the summer before their third year and the girls were having their last sleepover of the summer. Zatora could hardly believe that she was finally a teenager, despite her brother's warnings that it wasn't all that great. All the same the two teenager girls lay facing each other both attempting not to blink, or in this case, move at all. Suddenly Zatora sneezed and Padma laughed, "I win, okay… What could I dare you to do?"

"That doesn't count," Zatora said sitting up and brushing back her dark hair, "I sneezed. I thought we were allowed to sneeze at least."

"Nope, not in this case," Padma grinned. "Besides, I have a good one. I dare you to tell me why you were so freaked out last year – and no lies."

Zatora sighed. It was true, last year she had almost lost it every couple of months when she would hear a voice that only herself and Freddy could hear. Of course, they found the whole story behind the mess – basilisk living in the lower parts of the school. Still, for the longest time she had thought she was going insane. That in mind she took a deep breath and said, "Well, you know how I can talk to snakes?"

"Yeah," Padma said sitting up and looking Zatora straight in the eyes.

"A basilisk is a giant snake so I could hear it when it talked," Zatora said quickly. "Freddy could hear the voice as well, but it would still make you scared if you had no idea where it was coming from or why it was coming."

Padma grinned, "That makes sense. Hey, did you know that Harry Potter can talk to snakes too? That's seriously weird that everyone in Slytherin thought that he was behind the attacks and you can talk to snakes too. I wonder why no one accused you."

"Ugh," Zatora said throwing her pillow at Padma, "don't talk about Harry Potter; I get enough gossip about him in the dorm room and it's driving me insane. Just because he's in Gryffindor and Draco hates him doesn't mean that the whole house needs to talk about him."

Padma grinned, "Fine I won't talk about him."

"Good," Zatora said grabbing her hair brush and running it through her hair with a little added force.

"You know," Padma said shooting Zatora a furtive look, "if I didn't know any better you might actually like him."

"Like who? Draco, ugh don't even suggest that!" Zatora said putting down her brush.

"No I mean—"

"—Harry Potter?"

"Yeah," Padma said biting her lower lip.

Zatora laughed for a couple of long seconds before managing to say, "I don't even—"

"—Know him? So what, you've heard enough about him in Slytherin."

"Yeah, enough to know that I don't want to hook up with him; Tell me why I would want to hook up with someone who's popular for something he doesn't remember?"

"I don't know, because he's cute," Padma said sighing.

"Sounds more like you love the boy who lived to me." Zatora snickered.

"I do not," Padma said sitting up now and remaking her bed on the floor.

"ha ha, yeah right. You suggest that I like him when you're the one sighing at the very mention of his name." Zatora laughed getting up and falling backwards onto her bed.

"I just think he's good looking, especially when he's playing Quidditch. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not." Zatora said wishing the conversation would move from Harry to someone else. She truly was tired of participating in the gossip involving Harry Potter. It drove her nuts during the school year when the girls in her dorm room would discuss about the latest gossip about the boy. Why did it matter if he was a famous, good for nothing, Gryffindor?

"I still think you'd like him if you actually paid attention during the matches," Padma said stifling a yawn.

Zatora held back a laugh. "Yeah right, he's probably just showing off his skill for all his adorable little fan girls."

"No, he's actually got talent."

"That's what you believe, I beg to differ. Again, I hear enough about him to know that I don't want to hook up with him so let's just drop the subject about him?"

"All right, calm down Zatora," Padma said rolling onto her side and propping herself up on her hand so she could look up at Zatora's bed.

There was a deep silence for several seconds before Padma said, "What do you think are new classes are going to be like?"

"I don't know," Zatora said gazing up at her ceiling, "exciting and strange most likely. What did you sign up for again, I keep forgetting."

"Umm, let's see… I believe it was Divination the—"

"—Seer blood, of course—"

"—And The Study of Ancient Ruins." Padma finished, "what about you?"

"Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Ruins," Zatora replied calmly. "I hope the classes are good, you know."

"Yeah," Padma sighed, "I want to be able to learn as much as I can."

Zatora nodded mutely, "Wonder if this will be the year we finally figure it out."

"Figure out what?"

"What we want to be, a career… You know, like our passions, what we're extremely good at and that we can take farther, after our schooling is finished."

"Why are you worrying about that? We still have five more years including this year."

"Only five," Zatora said turning to face Padma, "we're taking OWL's in two years and we're supposed to know what we want to go after that year."

"Well, when you put it like that it seems a lot less." Padma said grinning.

"Yes, but it's the truth."

"You really need to live life fully a little bit more, Zatora."

"And you should be taking things more seriously, Padma."

"I believe you're mixing me up with my sister, and I thought you were my best friend," Padma joked pretending to look hurt.

"I am not mixing you two up," Zatora said, "but while we're on the topic, you are Padma right?"

"Last time I looked in the mirror I was pretty sure, but then again we look almost exactly the same so I could be wrong."

Zatora sat up and grabbed Padma's magic eight ball that she had brought along and tossed it to her. "Why don't you ask the all mighty magic eight ball, it might know the answer to our burning desire to know if you're Padma or not."

Padma shook the ball hard and asked in a mystical voice, "Am I Padma?" She turned the ball around and looked at the bottom, "'No', the Magic Eight Ball has spoken."

"Well, you'd better ask if you're Parvarti then," Zatora laughed.

"Am I Parvarti then?" Padma asked shaking the ball with all her might before turning it around and saying, "'No', the Magic Eight Ball has spoken. Well, then I suppose I'm an imposter aren't I?"

"Oh dear, what ever will we do?" Zatora mock cried.

"Hang me on the nearest tree I suppose, do you think your parents would hate to find my body hanging in their backyard?"

"Of course they would mind," Zatora said, "that's a horrible picture you just painted in my mind."

"Sorry," Padma said softly. "I promise I have no death wish; in fact if we could avoid the hanging I would prefer that."

"Well, I bet we could call the aurors, they would come take you away if you're an imposter."

"They would take me to Azkaban, I don't want to go there either!"

The two girls looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing. For a good time the girls laughed hysterically until finally they began calming down, their breath coming in gasps. Zatora yawned and looked over at her alarm clock which read that it was two in the morning. She sat up and looked down at Padma, "we should get some sleep, you're being picked up at ten."

"Yeah," Padma sighed sinking into her blankets and pillows. She closed her eyes and said softly, "good night, Zatora."

Zatora snuggled into her pillows and breathed out, "night, Padma."

* * *

Padma and Zatora walked groggily up the stairs still in their night gowns and sat down at the kitchen table. Padma rubbed at her eyes tiredly while Zatora picked at her food. Daniel was poring over the Daily Prophet with his Father who had an extremely worried look on his face. He looked up and saw the girls and said, "Padma, your parents called. They're picking you up an hour early."

"What? Why are they coming early?" Padma said, looking at Zatora and then back at her father.

"There was a break out from Azkaban last night. Sirius Black escaped and your parents don't want to take any chances. So they're picking you up early." He answered looking back down at the paper.

Zatora looked at the paper, "who is Sirius Black, Daniel?"

"He's only the most devoted follower of You Know Who," Mathew cut in before Daniel could even open his mouth. "He killed thirteen muggles and a wizard with one spell; I believe those are the correct numbers. Sirius Black is a completely insane and now he's loose. That'll make you feel really safe in your bed tonight, won't it?"

Zatora glared at him, "no, it will not make me feel safe in my bed tonight Mathew. Or should I say Daniel, you answered for him?"

"Eww, why would I want to be Daniel? He's so strange," Mathew stated looking over at Daniel.

"Thanks," Daniel said smiled forcedly.

"Come on Zatora," Padma said quietly, "I'm going to need help packing my stuff before my parents get here."

With that Padma and Zatora got up from the table and went downstairs. Neither of them talked about Sirius Black but Zatora knew that they both had the same thoughts. If one man could break out of Azkaban did that mean the others could too? What was going to happen with a known killer on the loose? Zatora knew there was no point in bringing up these questions. If she didn't know the answers why would Padma be able to answer them? Padma glance at Zatora before they both began looking for all of Padma's belongs and talking about happier things to keep their mind off of Sirius Black.

**All right, how was it? Horrible, bad, good, or great? Reviews would be nice. I promise I'm not going to leave this fanfiction in the dust. I want and plan to finish this fanfiction. I hope you liked this chapter. I know it's shorter, but I've been out of this fanfiction writing for a while. Hopefully the next chapter will be more interesting then this one.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	11. Being Asked Out

Chapter 11 – Being Asked Out

**Yet again I find myself saying that I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I am completely fired from this job. I should be locked away and someone should throw a way the key… Okay maybe that's going a little too far. At any rate, here is chapter eleven and yet again jumping another year. However, fourth year we're going to play with a bit because I really like Zatora's fourth year and a lot of important things happen to her in her fourth year that change her.**

The fourth years were talking loudly once again during Transfiguration. Not that this particular bunch cared; they were Slytherin's, after all, and it was fun watching Professor McGonagal go from upset to furious right as the bell rang. They still did their studying and worked during class, most of them weren't stupid, but near the end they would always attempt to drive her to her limits. Most of the girls were sitting around one table giggling about boys, while the rest of the class played a game of exploding snap. Professor McGonagal sat behind her desk watching this and cleared her voice loudly but to no avail; the fourth year Slytherin's just weren't that interested in what she had to cough about. McGonagal stood up just as the game of exploding snaps exploded and caused the group playing to burst into fits of laughter.

"That's quite enough, thank you," McGonagal said hushing the Slytherin's slowly. "I have a very important announcement and unless you want to be the only ones not going to the ball in a couple weeks then I suggest you listen."

The affect of her words were almost instantaneous. The girls, who had been chattering away, looked at each other and then glanced at the boys before turning to face towards the front. The group who had been playing exploding snap fell silent and looked at Professor McGonagal expectantly. In fact, McGonagal had to admit that this was the first time her classroom with these students had ever been silent. It was almost as if McGonagal had put a silencing charm on each of the students who were waiting for her to take it off them.

"Well, seeing as the Triwizard Tournament is taking place here at Hogwarts it is a tradition for the hosting school to hold a ball. Seeing as we have a fourth year the age restriction was moved to include fourth years in the ball." At this the girls sat up a little straighter and a couple busied themselves with fixing their hair. "You may ask someone younger to attend with you to the Yule Ball, which will be held on Christmas Eve. This is also why I hope most of you bought dress robes so you won't have to worry about having nothing to wear or sending your parents on a hunting mission for you."

Several of the students laughed and she said, "Well, then, carry on with your conversations."

Zatora glanced across the room to find Draco smiling at her. She hastily began grabbing her things and shoving them into her bag. Pansy watched her and asked hesitantly, "What the heck are you doing? We still have five minutes before the bell."

"Yes, but do you think I'm going to give Draco the chance to catch me before I leave? I'm not about to go to the ball with him, and it's impolite to turn the first person down. I simply refuse to give him a chance to ask me. I'm going to be out that door as soon as the bell rings. Care to join me?"

"All right fine," Pansy said, "but I don't see what your big problem is. I would be honored if he asked me the Yule Ball."

"Yeah, that's only because you're his number one fan girl and you absolutely love him to death." Zatora said closing her bag and swinging it over her shoulder.

"Just because you hate him doesn't mean I have to."

"I didn't say that. By all means, if you can get him to leave me alone I would be happy. Ugh, I wish all the guys would stop staring at me. I mean, what do they see in me anyways?" Zatora said looking down at her robes and clothes.

"Have you not looked in a mirror lately?" Pansy asked starting into a fit of giggles.

"No I haven't, I didn't think I was any more special then everyone else at this school." Zatora shot at her.

"It's not that you're more special or anything, you're just drop dead gorgeous. Most of the boys in this school like you for how you look, not to mention your personality. You're always smiling, you're smart, you're sarcastic sometimes, even kind and caring, for a Slytherin that is." Pansy said rolling her eyes, "come one, Zatora, admit that you're just someone a lot of people want to be around especially guys."

Zatora shook her hair out of her face, "oh, I'm not that great. I have my flaws; I tease the Gryffindor's sometimes, and the Hufflepuff's. Not to mention I'm quiet, I don't get everything right – don't even think about giving me that sarcastic look some of my grades aren't perfect – not to mention I'm not that good looking, you're making it sound like guys only care about looks not my true self."

"Most guys go by looks, not by who you are or how you act," Pansy said straightening up and giving a small smile over to some boys who grinned back. "See what I mean, they like it when someone cute flirts with them. That's just how guys are, you first see them, you start liking them, and then you start the dating and getting to know them. I don't make the rules it's just how life works."

"Well," Zatora said looking haughtily over towards the guys, "I'm going to fall in love with someone who likes me for me, not my looks."

Pansy shook her head and rolled her eyes, "right, whatever Zatora."

As soon as the bell rang Zatora was out of there with Pansy close behind her dashing through the corridors in an attempt to get away from Draco. Zatora was running so fast she was soon loosing sight of Pansy over her shoulder. She continued walking fast as the crowd thickened, students filing out of their classes to get to dinner. Once again Zatora glanced over her shoulder to find that she had successfully lost Draco and Pansy and bumped right into someone. She fell backwards onto the floor and students began making their way around her. Looking up she found a very good looking boy from Durmstrang who smiled down at her.

"Sorry," Zatora said going bright red, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Don't worry about it," he said giving her his hand to help her up.

Zatora could feel her cheeks turning brighter with embarrassment as she got back to her feet and faced the boy. She smiled and said awkwardly, "well, I need to get down to dinner."

"Wait," the boy said, "I've been watching you all year and I was wondering –"

"You've been watching me all year?" Zatora asked now feeling flustered and aghast at the same time.

"Yes," the boy said hesitantly his friends behind him smiling now as well. "Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to go to the ball with me."

"You want to go to the ball with me?" Zatora asked bewildered while thinking horror-struck, _maybe Pansy was right_.

"Unless you've already been asked out and said yes," he said swiftly.

"You can say no?" Zatora asked feeling stupid and sheepish.

"Well it's always up to the person whom you ask," the boy said his friends holding back laughs. "Look, I'd understand if you're already going with someone."

"No, I'm not going with anyone. You're the first to ask me." Zatora said quickly. Zatora then said swiftly, "yes, I would love to go to the ball with you."

"Great, I will meet you in the Great Hall on Christmas Eve," the boy said before taking her hand and placing a small kiss on it. "By the way, my name is Hector."

"Zatora," she breathed while thinking _dang, he's hot._

"Until the ball then, Zatora," Hector said before turning and walking away with his friends.

"Wow," Zatora said staring after him breathlessly. She shook her head and then said, "dang it, Pansy was right, you first get blown away by looks and then suddenly your saying yes and your on cloud nine and…"

"There you are," Pansy said running over to her. "Goodness, I thought I lost you. I'm pretty sure Draco has no idea where you went or if you're still in Hogwarts for that matter. Hey, are you even paying attention to me? Zatora, what's up?"

"I just got asked to go to the ball," Zatora said still breathless.

"Who in the world asked you? Was it Draco, did you turn him down?" Pansy asked quickly.

"No it wasn't Draco, his name is Hector and he's from Durmstrang." Zatora said looking at Pansy.

"So, did you say yes or what? The suspense is killing me!" Pansy said playfully hitting Zatora on the arm.

"I said yes of course," Zatora said, "and might I just add, he's utterly good looking."

"Ooo, imagine if you got married and had kids," Pansy squealed. "You would have drop dead, good looking, gorgeous children."

The girls burst into a fit of giggles. "Yeah, although I think marriage is pushing it a little far don't you think? I just met him." Zatora said bluntly.

"So you said you liked him." Pansy pointed out, "Besides have a little fun Zatora, you are such a Tom Boy."

"I'm perfect as a girl thank you very much." Zatora said offended.

"Yeah right," Pansy said. "Oh, can we go to dinner and tell all the girls who you're going out with, please!"

"We aren't going out; we're going on a date to a ball." Zatora corrected.

"Make that you like him and going on a date then," Pansy corrected.

"Fine, let's go."

Zatora quickly found out that the fact that she had gotten a date would soon be the only thing her friends in Slytherin were willing to talk about that night. Every time she turned around someone was excitedly asking her questions about her date. Tell me again what he looks like Zatora? Was he tall or short? What color hair did he have? Do you like him Zatora? Do you think he likes you a lot or just a little? Tell me his name just one more time Zatora, it sounds so cool when you say it! Just tell us how you met one more time Zatora, please. Zatora was slowly finding the fact that she had a date rather old.

The only probably Zatora could see was the fact that she didn't think Draco would ever figure out that Pansy adored him. In a lot of ways she felt bad that Draco had no chance with her now but at the same time she didn't want to give him an opportunity to put his foot in the door and keep it there. She didn't like Draco, maybe as a friend which had been going well, but not as someone she could consider liking for the rest of her life. He was a good friend and that's the way she felt things should stay. Not that Draco wasn't good looking for her liking he just wasn't her type. He was pushy and she was subtle and quiet. Zatora didn't find herself pushing someone to be in a relationship with her whereas Draco wanted things to move a little faster at the moment. Draco had taken to following her again but she refused to talk to him. Although this seemed to be working well she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him forever and the end of the avoidance came too soon.

Zatora was sitting the common room reading a book when suddenly she sensed someone sitting down next to her. She stiffened automatically, her senses on end when suddenly Draco's drawling voice said, "good book you're reading there, Zatora?"

"Yes," Zatora said putting it down so she could look at Draco, "it's a good book but it's for homework, you know. I'm looking up stuff for that potions assignment Professor Snape gave us."

"Oh, I haven't looked at it yet," Draco said put his hands behind his head and stretching out his legs.

"That's due in two days Draco," Zatora said sounding shocked.

"Well maybe you could help me," Draco suggested softly, "I just don't understand the stuff."

"You did the potion just fine last time I was watching you," Zatora scoffed closing her book completely.

"I get it when I do it in Potions but I don't get it when I do it on paper."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"You're hopeless, you know that?"

"So you'll help me?"

"I don't even get this stuff, what makes you think I can help you?"

"Because you're smart and you usually get this kind of stuff."

"Nice try Draco."

"What?" Draco asked sounding taken aback.

"I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work." Zatora said flatly

"What am I trying to do?" Draco asked again.

"You're trying to lead up to asking me to the Yule Ball and I'm telling you now it's not going to work."

"Why not," Draco demanded.

"I'm already going with someone to the Yule Ball," Zatora said calmly.

"What? Who asked you out?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because you'd go and give him a hard time."

"You know how frustrating you can be?"

"Do you know you can be really pushy at times? Why are you so determined that I should go out with you? I'm not that special."

"Yes you are, I am head over heels for you and you still don't acknowledge that I could be more than a friend."

"Well you're treating Pansy the same way."

There was silence for a few seconds before Draco said, "what?"

Zatora let out a small laugh, "you are so blind, Draco. You're so busy trying to impress me and get me to like you that you're completely missing the signs that Pansy likes you. Not only does she like you but she's madly in love with you. She's pretty dang beautiful as well and she's standing right in front of you and you can't even do her the decency of noticing that."

Draco stared at her speechlessly and then said, "She likes me? She really likes me?"

"Oh my goodness," Zatora said frustration etched into her voice, "I just said she loves you, when is it going to settle into your head?"

Draco was quiet again so Zatora continued on. "Look, I'm going to the ball with someone else and I'm not going to change my mind about that so you might as well give up on me. Why don't you use your time to go ask Pansy to the ball? She hasn't been asked to go yet and it would be a shame if both you ended up missing out because Pansy's too shy to ask you and you're too stupid enough not to ask her."

Draco sat there stunned and Zatora shook his arm slightly, "What are you afraid of Draco, being turned down?"

"I'm not afraid, just shocked that I didn't pick up on that." Draco said softly.

"Draco, I've been trying to tell you for the past four years that I don't like you and you still haven't caught on. Really, in the long run, it's not that surprising. Just think about asking Pansy, all right?"

Draco nodded and Zatora simply got up and walked back up to the girls' dormitory. She flopped down on her bed and smiled up at the ceiling. Everything was hopefully going to fit into palce now. She was going on to the ball with Hector; Draco was probably going to pluck up the courage to ask Pansy, and Christmas coming up quickly. Zatora didn't know how long she laid there on her bed thinking but sure enough Pansy came running up the stairs and squealed happily, "Zatora, Draco just asked me to go to the ball with him! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Zatora said smiling at her, "everything about today is going great."

**Okay, I did say I was going to try to make this chapter longer. Wow, I had a lot of fun playing with and writing that. Well, did you like it, was it horrible? Let me know (reviews are nice ;) ). I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	12. The Three Arguments

Chapter 12 – The Three Arguments

**Well, I was slightly quicker with this chapter; slightly? Okay maybe not quicker but I actually had this written a while ago (I even let a friend preview this chapter and part of the next one if that is any plus). At any rate, I've got this finished now and here it is! Chapter 12 and as I said before I'm playing with fourth year a bit longer… I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I had fun writing this.**

Zatora stood in front of the mirror slightly nervous. She was wearing a beautiful royal purple dress with matching dress robes. For the third time she turned in front of the mirror. Her hair was spun into a bun with the ends of her hair falling softly down to her shoulders. Zatora could still hear Pansy marveling at her own appearance a few feet away from her but wasn't really paying that much attention. Pansy came over next to Zatora and said, "You look absolutely amazing."

"So do you," Zatora pointed out still looking at herself in the mirror.

"Shall we go meet our dates?" Pansy asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Zatora said finally satisfied with how she looked, "let's go. Draco's probably waiting at the foot of the stairs for you."

Pansy nodded blushing profusely. As the two girls made their way down the stairs Pansy whispered, "I still can't believe he asked me out."

"I can," a familiar drawling voice from below them; Pansy froze before smiling down at Draco who added swiftly "you look amazing, Pansy."

"Thanks," Pansy said coming to a stop in front of Draco

Zatora passed them, smiling to herself, walking toward the door. Draco called after her, "Do I get to know who your date is yet?"

"Not a chance, Draco," Zatora called over her shoulder before leaving the common room.

Draco had been attempting to get Zatora to tell him who she was going to the ball with for the last week. Try as hard as he liked, Zatora knew Draco and simply refused to tell him. She enjoyed making Draco furious, leaving him to wonder about the unknown facts in her life. It was a humorous game to Zatora that also accomplished driving Draco insane as an added bonus. Most of the time she was sweet as honey but, Zatora had to admit, that even she could be heartlessly cruel to those she didn't have any taste for.

Zatora wander through the crowded entrance hall looking for any sign of Hector. What if he'd forgotten about asking her to the ball? Even worse, what if he simply didn't show? Maybe he found a prettier, funnier girl to go to the ball with. Zatora's thoughts were running wild as she looked around, hoping to find Hector soon.

"Well, you look stunning," said a voice from her. Zatora turned and came face to face with Hector smiling at her.

"Thank you for the compliment," Zatora said blushing slightly, "you look dashing yourself." She deliberately looked away from his face feeling nervous all over again.

"Shall we?" Hector asked offering Zatora his arm.

"Shall we what?" Zatora asked looking confused and scared.

Hector laughed, "You're new at this, huh? I meant, shall we go together into the Great Hall and find a seat?"

"Oh, yes, let's." Zatora said taking his arm gently and allowing him to lead her into the Great Hall.

Everything looked wonderful in the Great Hall; the icicles hanging from the ceiling, the ice sculptors around the room glittering in the light, and the tables looking as if they were frozen in the state of melting. Hector and Zatora found an empty table and sat down. Zatora played with a strand of her hair watching people enter and find a place to sit. She watched as Blaise escorted a beautiful girl to a table. Blaise helped her into a seat before he sat down next to the girl and the two of them began talking to each other animatedly. Her body tensed slightly as Blaise looked up and smiled at her from across the hall. Quickly she turned to Hector and asked, "So are you liking Hogwarts?"

"I suppose," Hector answered with a smile. "These 'houses' are a bit different… Do Slytherins normally only hang out with other Slytherins?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zatora asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, just an observation," Hector said looking taken aback.

"Oh," Zatora said softly, "no, I have friends in other house."

"Really, like who?"

Zatora felt like her truthfulness was being questioned. She looked around the hall for another friend who wasn't in Slytherin. Finally she spotted Padma and said, "She's not in Slytherin and she so happens to be my friend."

Hector looked over and frowned, "Is she with the one in the horrible dress robes?"

"Ye – What?" Zatora said looking back over at Padma. Sure enough, Padma's date was wearing dress robes that looked like they were from ancient times. Just the color and the style of the robes seemed to clash with his bright red hair. _She came with him?_Zatora wondered with the air of one who thought someone had hit below the belt. Part of Zatora felt bad for Padma while the other part wanted to laugh. She waved over at Padma who waved back trying to convince her date that they should sit over at the table Zatora was at. The boy looked over, shook his head, and pulled her to a table with other Gryffindors around it. Zatora sighed while a drawling voice asked, "So that's who you came with."

Zatora spun around in her chair to find Draco and Pansy standing behind them. Zatora straightened up and replied curtly, "Yes. Hector this is Draco–"

"–Malfoy? It's been such a long time." Hector said shaking Malfoy's hand.

"You know each other?" Pansy and Zatora said in surprise.

Draco smiled, "we practically grew up together. Best of friends while we were young, weren't we Hector? At any rate, mind if we sit with you?"

Zatora opened hr mouth to say 'yes' but Hector answered for her instead. "No, not at all, our table's still empty except for us."

Pansy swiftly sat down next to Zatora and whispered, "I had no idea Draco knew him. Can you believe your bad luck?"

"No, I can't believe it," Zatora muttered back while glaring at Draco.

Through out dinner the boys talked to each other. Zatora kept sending dark looks over to Draco. Whenever Draco would notice this he would merely grace her with his usual smirk of a smile. She felt outraged that Draco was ruining her night by taking Hectors attention away from her and onto him. Zatora watched stubbornly as the four champions began dancing with their dates. Once the song ended the other students and teachers burst into applause. The bad struck up another song and Hector turned to Zatora, at last, "shall we dance?"

"Yes, please," Zatora replied quickly getting to her feet and following Hector out onto the dance floor.

For several songs Hector and Zatora danced, laughing and talking to each other. After a good song ended Hector suggested getting something to drink. Together they went to a long table laden with Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice. Zatora took a Butterbeer and took a sip of it watching the crowd. She looked over and saw Daniel and Mathew sitting at a near by table. Daniel looked sulky and unhappy as he watched the students on the dance floor. Zatora lowered her cup slightly, "Hector, do you want to meet tow of my brothers?"

"You have brothers?"

"Of course I do," Zatora replied casually, "two older brothers and one younger brother."

"Let me guess, it's the two older brothers we're meeting? Hector inquired.

"Yes, but they'll be nice, I promise."

"Well, I suppose if you really want to."

"Great, let's go," Zatora said heading over to her brothers with Hector in tow. As they approached the table Mathew looked up and said, "Look who's decided to grace us with her presence."

"Shut up, Mathew," Zatora snapped, "besides I know where you sleep."

"So… who's pretty boy from Durmstrang standing next to you?"

"Stop it, Mathew – and his name's Hector." Zatora turned to Hector, "these are my brothers Mathew and Daniel."

"Nice to meet you, Hector," Mathew said attempting to smile.

"Daniel," Zatora said hesitantly, "is something wrong?"

When Daniel didn't answer Mathew said, "He was dumped by his date…"

Zatora sat down next to Daniel and softly said, "Oh, Daniel, I'm so sorry."

Mathew said in an undertone, "She also happened to be the most popular girl in his year."

"Why did she leave him?" Zatora asked Mathew.

"To make her ex-boyfriend jealous," Daniel said, speaking for the first time. "It worked and she left."

"That's horrible," Zatora said, "I'm really sorry Dan–"

"Why are you sorry?" Daniel said turning to face her. "Your night is turning out perfect."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're having a wonderful time with Hector, are you not? Why should I be so privileged, to ruin your date, with a pity act?"

"Pity act?" Zatora repeated glancing at Mathew who looked just as confused as she felt.

"Just meaning I don't need your charity sympathy that you'll laugh about later with your Slytherin friends." Daniel snapped at her.

Zatora got to her feet, "well, I'm sorry I'm having such a wonderful time while you aren't, Daniel. I'm surprised you don't know me well enough to know I don't do pity acts and charity sympathy."

With that Zatora marched away from the table with Hector. Her body was trembling with suppressed rage. Once far enough away Hector said, "nice family… I think."

"Ugh," Zatora said, "between Daniel and Draco this night sucks."

"What's wrong with me this time," Draco's voice came from Zatora's right.

"How is it you always find me?" Zatora shot at him.

"I'm waiting for Pansy," Draco said lazily, "she's talking to some friends. Just for the record, I didn't find you, you found me this time."

"You know," Hector said, "I would like to know what's wrong with Draco, my self."

"I don't like him. He's been annoying me for the last three to four years."

"What's not to like about him? He's way cool."

"No, he's not," Zatora replied looking at Hector. "He won't leave me alone when it comes to trying to ask me out."

"Look," Hector said, "this date isn't going so well. I think we should both call it off."

With a final half smile Hector disappeared into the crowd. Zatora gaped after him for a few minutes before round on Draco who was greeting Pansy. "This is all you fault!" She snapped at him causing Pansy to look startled.

"What is my fault?" Draco asked her, confusion in his eyes.

"Oh, don't play dumb."

"If you mean Hector leaving you I don't see how that's my–"

"You buttered him up over dinner to get him to like you."

"So what if I did?"

"I can't believe this; you completely planned this out because I refused to go with you to the ball when you asked me."

"Again, so what?" Draco sneered, "He wasn't good enough for you anyway."

"No one would be good enough for me to go out with unless it's you, Draco!" Zatora said angrily before running away from Draco and Pansy.

Zatora ran out into the entrance hall and down into the dungeons. Her feet carried her to where she wanted to go as tears blurred her vision. She flew through the common room which was full mostly of younger students who hadn't been asked to the ball. Zatora didn't stop until she fell upon her bed, gripping her soft, comforting pillow as her sobs over took her. Freddy slithered up from under the bed to curl up next to her. She cried softly until her pillow was damp and sleep washed over her, numbing her pain.

**So how was chapter 12? Good, bad, can't wait until the next chapter? Anything you feel I should change? Oh, by the way – thank you to all the reviews I got for the last chapter they really boosted me to continue working on this and got me to finish this chapter a lot sooner than I expected. At any rate, comments would be lovely.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	13. His Return

Chapter 13 – His Return

**Okay this was going to be up sooner but school started again (is anyone else completely confused on how summer flew by so fast?). I was seriously surprised to find school starting. It just doesn't feel like it should have started yet and now it's almost the middle of the year... Anyway, I really hope you all like this chapter (I believe it's longer than the last two.**

Zatora was furious; Pansy had taken Draco's side on the fact that Hector wasn't right for her. "Well," Pansy said on their way to breakfast, "now that we're a 'thing' I have to take his side. I mean to say, he finally kissed me last night. You can't honestly expect me not to take his side, do you?"

Angry at the fact that Pansy was now together with Draco, Zatora decided to sit with the Ravenclaws rather then with her usual group of friends. Once she spotted Padma she walked briskly over to her and sat down. Padma looked up, startled, but upon noticing it was Zatora she turned back to her food.

Zatora sighed, "Guys are scum."

"I completely agree," Padma replied. "Guys are extremely stupid scum."

"Draco ruined my date and hooked up with one of my friends in one night. What kind of person does something like that?"

"You know, I only went to the ball with Ron Weasley because Parvarti begged me to go. The least he could do was ask me to dance. Does he ask me to dance at all? Of course not, why would he want to ask me to dance when I'm his date?"

"—Ugh, not to mention Daniel. His date dumps him and I get blamed for it because I'm having a good time. I'm supposed to be his sister so therefore he should want me to have a good time."

"The only person Ron had eyes for was Hermione Granger and that's only because he fancies her. She at least had some sense and went with Viktor Krum. Not only is she smart but she's now also insanely popular… Not that she wasn't before, she hangs out with Harry after all."

"Who cares about Harry Potter?" Zatora said causing several girls to gasp a few seats down. "He has the look and girls swooning over him. Besides, he's probably like every other guy in this school. A stupid, heart breaking jerk, who wants some pretty, stuck up, girl for his collection. No better than Draco or Daniel most likely…"

"At least he danced with Parvarti, Ron couldn't even do that. Then again, supposedly Harry attempted to ask Cho Chang out but she's already dating Cedric Diggory. At any rate, Harry and Ron were both really rude last night."

"I never want to go on another date again. No more guys for me."

"Count me in. Our date and night sucked," Padma said pushing her plate away from her.

"Do you want to study for charms class today? We have that huge essay due on the first day school resumes," Zatora said hopefully watching Pansy and Draco holding hands across the hall.

"Why — what about Pansy?" Padma asked looking confused.

"I told you, they hooked up last night," Zatora said turning to face Padma. "Pansy'll want to study with Draco now."

"Oh," Padma said sheepishly, "right, she'll want to do that."

Zatora looked at Padma, "What are you not telling me?"

"Well," Padma said softly, "I already made arrangements to study charms with someone else today. She didn't get to go to the ball at all and I told her before the ball that I would help her with Charms."

"Oh," Zatora said rather hurt. "Right, I suppose I'll just study on my own then. Maybe I'll actually get some work done today.

With a small, but forced, smile she got up and walked off to the library on her own.

* * *

As the third task drew nearer Zatora and Padma could almost always be found in the library studying for their classes. Zatora personally found it a lot easier to study for exams in the library than in the common room. Pansy and Draco were now experimenting with snogging. Not that it particularly bothered her but it was annoying to watched and rather disgusting.

The evening before the third task Zatora was sitting in the library waiting for Padma. She was pouring over a Transfiguration book trying desperately to understand what she was reading. Every few seconds Zatora would look up to see if Padma was in sight but would return to her book forlorn. Zatora was beginning to feel like Padma wasn't coming when she sat down next to her.

"You're twenty minutes late," Zatora said turning to look at Padma. "At least you're here now, I desperately need help with understanding this Transfiguration stuff of I'm going to fail my exam tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, we are sitting together for the last task, right?"

"Well," Padma said hesitantly. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that…"

"What's up?" Zatora asked, the smile that had been on her face at the sight of her friend fading away.

"There's this guy," Padma said while turning red.

"Go on," Zatora replied, although closing her eyes as if nauseated.

"—And he sort of found me in the common room and told me he likes me."

"So what's the verdict?"

"He asked me to sit with him during the third task," Padma answered with an apologetic look.

Zatora looked steadily into Padma's eyes for a few seconds before saying, "It's okay if you want to sit with him."

"Really?" Padma asked happily. "I mean, he's really cute and he's a quidditch player. Thanks for understanding Zatora. Can you handle studying by yourself tonight so I can go tell him?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Zatora lied forcing a small smile.

"You're the best, Zatora," Padma said as she got up and left the library.

"Yeah," Zatora sighed looking back down at the Transfiguration book, "the best."

Zatora began reading again, trying her best to ignore the feeling of abandonment. She focused putting her energy into learning what was needed for the exam but her eyes kept stinging. She hardly noticed as Zabini cam and took Padma's empty seat. Tears blurred her vision as the feeling of hopelessness washed over her as the fact that her last companion had left her for a guy hit her fully.

"Hey," Blaze said looking at the Transfiguration book.

"Hi Blaze," Zatora said softly.

"What are you studying so intensely? You look a little stressed."

"Transfiguration, I'm horrible at it," Zatora replied. "Padma was going to help me, but she met a boy today and would rather see him."

"Oh" Blaze said, "So you don't want her to be with him?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Zatora said quickly. "I want her to be happy, her last date was horrible. She's the good one at Transfiguration and I just don't understand—"

"I can help you." Blaze replied, "Transfiguration is really not as hard as you're making it sound."

Zatora sat there for a moment before asking, "You really understand this stuff?" When Blaze nodded Zatora sighed with relief, "I was so worried I was going to fail my exam. Please, I'm begging you, help me."

A couple of hours later and Zatora could properly Tranfigure what was to be expected on the exam not to mention explain how she'd done it. Blaze grinned as she answered her last quiz question correctly, "I believe," Blaze said proudly, "that you will do just fine on this exam."

"Thank you so much, Blaze," Zatora said beaming. "I don't know what I would have done without you tonight."

"It really was no big deal, honest."

Zatora smiled, "There's got to be a way I can repay you for helping me tonight."

"Well," Blaze said tentatively. "I was wondering, if you don't' have other arrangements, if you would like to sit with me and my friends for the third task."

Zatora starred at Blaze for a second before beginning to gather up her books hastily. "I'm sorry, Blaze, but I've already promised I would sit with Padma. It would be really rude of me to tell her last second that I don't want to sit with her. Thanks again for your help with Transfiguration, but I've really got to go now."

"It really was no problem, Zatora," Blaze said watching her get up.

"Right, well I really should go to bed," Zatora said placing her bag over her shoulder. "I'll need plenty of rest for tomorrow. Good night, Blaze, I'll see if I can catch you around sometime."

With that Zatora walked out of the library without a second glance. She felt flustered and bothered all at one, which rather scared her.

* * *

The following day seemed to fly by way too quickly. Zatora soon found herself walking, with the rest of the fourth year Slytherins, out of their last exam in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She felt as if she'd done pretty well, on her exams over all. Unfortunately this now left her with a choice that she was going to have to make.

She deliberately chose to eat dinner alone. Zatora thought carefully about her options; she didn't really want to go to the third task for a few reasons. For one, she'd been having an unsettled, disturbed feeling about the task all day. Something was going to happen and she was sure she wasn't going to like it. Her last reason was that she didn't want to sit alone. Although Blaze had been kind enough to invite her, she would have preferred to sit with Padma, or Pansy, or Daniel and Mathew before she chose Blaze. He was really cool and a wonderful friend but she didn't want to sit with him when she'd never done anything like that before.

Which left her with her final decision: to stay in the castle for the evening. She had already planned that for the first hours she would sit in the hall and read. Then she would go to the common room to work on her note book, which was full of her Care of Magical Creatures notes, before going to bed early. Zatora finished off her last bite of food and left the Great Hall quietly.

Silently she wandered through the corridors, her feet taking her to one of her favorite halls to hand around in. This hall was up on the fifth floor, where there were plenty of walls to sit up against, not to mention benches, and was known to be the perfect gathering place amongst the Slytherins. Zatora not only liked this hall because she spent most of her free time with friends here, but because she had found comfort here in her third year. She had been crying, because Draco was being overly annoying about wanting to date, when Daniel had walked into the same hall. Almost immediately he had come to her aid, silencing her tears and calming her down. This hall made her feel safe, for some odd reason, and Zatora liked it.

After making sure she was alone, Zatora sat down on her favorite bench and pulled out her large notebook. Carefully she undid the clasp and opened the book to where she had left off. She ran her hand over the page, starring at her elegant script and sketches of creatures. From her very first Care of Magical Creatures lesson she had fallen in love with the Creatures she studied. Zatora enjoyed observing creature behavior and she had a talent for figuring out exactly was the creature wanted. Ever since then she had started her notebook, adding her own notes and interpretation, sketching creatures for some of her information. It was something she was good at and wanted to start as a career.

Lazily she flipped through the pages, studying her detailed drawings and notes. Her eyes absorbed the information spilling on the pages. Gently her fingers tugged at strands of her dark hair, falling over her shoulder and down to the middle of her body. A clicking sound began to fill the air, brisk and quick. Confused Zatora looked up to find Daniel walking down the hall towards her.

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes meeting Zatora's. "Oh," Daniel said awkwardly, "Zatora, aren't you going to the third task?"

"No, I have no one to sit with," Zatora replied. "Aren't you going to be late?"

"I was just grabbing my jacket. They say it's going to be a little chilly tonight." Daniel said softly not meeting her eyes.

"Right," Zatora grinned, "Have fun I suppose."

"Zatora, I'm really sorry for what I said to you at the Yule Ball." Daniel blurted out, going red.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry. I really think you were right you know…" Daniel sheepishly said, tracing patterns with his foot. "You were right about the girl I took to the ball. She really wasn't worth it for me. Besides, there will always be other girls in my life but not another sister most likely. Can you forgive me for being so rude to you and your date?"

Zatora starred at Daniel dumbfounded. "Of course I can forgive you," She said getting up and running into his waiting arms.

"I'm really glade you can," Daniel whispered. "Honestly, it's been bugging me for months. I just haven't seen you around and Mathew wasn't really helping me you know. Why do you have no one to sit with for the third task?"

"Oh, Pansy and Draco are going together so I can't sit with her. I was going to sit with Padma, but she had someone ask her to sit with him so that leaves me out." Zatora explained, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You could sit with Mathew and me," Daniel offered.

"I don't know… I have a really uneasy feeling about this all."

"Come on Zatora, when are you going to get another chance like this again? Plus, you should be supportive of our champions." Daniel countered with a smile.

"You mean Cedric Diggory?" Zatora asked automatically.

"Yeah and Harry Potter," Daniel said watching Zatora pull a face.

"Fine, I'll come but only because I'm there to support Cedric with the rest of the Slytherins. I get enough of Harry in my dorm room," Zatora explained.

"You know what, Zatora?" Daniel said as he followed Zatora as she picked up her things.

"What?" Zatora asked pulling on her jacket and leading the way to the staircase.

"It feels really good talking to you again." Daniel replied, draping his arm over her shoulders.

* * *

Her teeth clanged together rapidly as Zatora sat in the stands shivering. Mathew and Daniel were on their third round of exploding snap and everyone was still patiently waiting for Harry and Cedric to return to the main group. Fleur Delacour had been the first one back out of the maze follow shortly by Viktor Krum which meant that the tournament was a sure win for Hogwarts. Which was why Zatora was so annoyed at the fact that she was freezing, waiting for one of their two champions to come back triumphant. Her theory was that they could just split the winnings and say they were both champions.

"Daniel," Zatora whined, "I'm really cold! When is it going to be over?"

"When ever Cedric or Harry make, it out of the maze," Daniel said, frowning slightly as he picked up his card. Mathew made a silly face at Daniel who growled, "Stop it, Mathew, I'm trying to concentrate here."

"You're point being?" Mathew asked slyly. "I'm trying to win at this game so we're even."

"You are distracting me from winning," Daniel hissed.

"Yeah that's kind of the point, smart one."

Daniel glared at Mathew hard before he went back to trying to put his last card on the pile. Zatora sighed and shivered violently, "Daniel, I'm serious, I'm really, extremely, past the point of ever warming up again cold!"

"Fine, take my jacket! You should have worn something longer to this," Daniel said shrugging his jacket off quickly and tossing it to her. Zatora caught it with trembling hands and put it on, wishing it was warmer.

Mathew snickered and made another face as Daniel barely breathed and the stack of cards blew up in his face. "Mathew, you cheated!" Daniel glared at him as the smoke cleared.

"I did not; you tossed your jacket to Zatora which distracted you." Mathew pointed out grinning happily.

As the boys argued and Zatora began feeling a little warmth in her body return she saw several of the front rows clapping as a flash of colors appeared on the lawn. She watched, cautiously, as a scream split the air. Daniel and Mathew stopped arguing, looking down to where a mass of yellow and red lay on the ground below. Zatora felt as if the world had been knocked out from under her feet. The champions had indeed returned, but Cedric's cold eyes stared blankly up into the star filled sky as screams and crying began to fill the night air lamenting the loss of Cedric Diggory.

**I know, not one of my better pieces of writings. I don't know why that was so hard to write. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have the next chapter all planned out and it's going to get interesting. Zatora is going to realize her crush on someone and also at the same time tease Harry for the first time… Let's just say I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I hope you liked this chapter and I'll try my hardest to put the next one up soon.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	14. Just a Little Crush

Chapter 14 –Just a Little Crush

**All right, I did promise to have this chapter up as soon as possible and here it is.**

The halls of Hogwarts were rather silent for a brisk, wintery, Saturday morning. In fact, the silence was unusually odd for Hogwarts. The fact that no one was out and about seemed to strengthen the fact that the school seemed to be crying for some sort of attention. Not even Peeves could be heard finding something destructive to do to the place. Inwardly Hogwarts was the deadest place on the planet, but that would soon change. It was almost as if the school had begged for some action and was officially receiving it in the form of a group of girls.

Pansy's voice echoed off the walls, "I can't believe you said that to Goyle's face Tracey. I mean, honestly, he was just joking you know."

"I know," Tracey giggled, "But he had it coming for him. I told him not to try to copy off of my work or he'd be sorry. The only thing I could think of saying in front of the whole common room was that he wets the bed every so often."

The girls giggled uncontrollably for a few minutes. Nina grinned, "I bet you anything he really does wet the bed. Tracey, you did the right thing to get him out of your hair."

Tracey pretended to bow, "Thank you, thank you. I know I'm absolutely on fire this week. Let's see, I've helped tease Potter, annoyed first years, embarrassed Goyle, oh and I also managed to keep on top of my homework. That's right I believe amazing is the word for me right now."

Millicent turned to Zatora, "You know the only person who hasn't teased anyone is Zatora."

Zatora felt herself turn red, "That's not true. I've teased plenty of people."

"Actually, Zatora, you really haven't. It's nothing to be ashamed of, I suppose," Pansy said calmly. "Although, you laugh about what we've done but you're way to nice to actually tease and hurt someone's feelings."

Daphne nodded, "Come on Zatora you can't deny that you have a nice streak. You just don't know how to be mean."

"I could be mean if I really wanted to," Zatora snapped at her friends, who were laughing hysterically.

"Zatora," Millicent pointed out, "The meanest you've ever gotten was to not talk to us for about a day."

Tracey nodded solemnly, "Sorry Zatora, but we're all against you on this one. You just don't have a mean bone in your body."

Zatora felt outraged. She could be mean if she wanted to, especially when it got right down to it. They were simply over looking last year when she hadn't talked to Daniel and Mathew for almost a month. Now that she was a fifth year she could certainly do better than what they accused her of not doing. Pulling herself together Zatora haughtily said, "I'll tease the next person to walk into this hall that isn't a Slytherin then."

Pansy and the other girls stopped laughing. With a small smile to the rest of the girls Pansy replied, "Oh no, that's not how it works Zatora. You're going to have to give Potter a bad time."

"What?" Zatora asked perplexed. "Potter already has a hard enough time from everyone else in our house. I think I can avoid bugging him, can't I?"

"Nope," Tracey shook her head sadly, "It has to be Potter or no deal."

Nina and Millicent held back fits of giggles as Pansy explained. "We've all teased Potter even the guys have done it. You're the only one who hasn't teased him yet. Besides, it shouldn't be that hard for you. After all, Zatora, you have listened in on us bashing him for almost five years. I think you joined in when he was the champion last year. Just think about it, you can have a lot of fun teasing him about the fact that The Dark Lord has returned." The girls laughed harder at this causing Zatora to pale slightly.

This wasn't what she had expected at all when they had said tease someone. She had thought she could just pick a random student and apologize profusely afterwards. Instead they were telling her she had to tease Harry Potter about what he said when all of her family believed his story. Zatora bit her lip, unsure of herself; she didn't want to look stupid in front of her friends but at the same time she didn't want her family finding out that she had teased him either. A bright idea came to her. They still had to find Harry, so if they couldn't find him then she would have nothing to worry about. As long as they couldn't find Harry she was safe.

"All right then," Zatora said smoothly. "I'll do it; I'll tease Harry Potter when I see him."

"Oh good," Daphne said slyly, "Because here he is now."

"What?" Zatora gasped, spinning around. Sure enough, Harry along with Ron and Hermione were walking down the hall towards them. _Just my luck_, Zatora though to herself as her heart sank. Pansy came to her side and whispered, "Well, are you going to do it or not?"

Zotora watched the trio for a moment before she managed to gather her courage. Squaring her shoulders she ran after them. "Potter," Zatora called, "Hey, Potter, wait up!"

They stopped and turned, to Zotora's complete surprise. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to bring herself to be mean. Nervously she asked, "Have you read the latest headline of the Daily Prophet today?"

Harry took a step towards her, "No and I really don't want to know what it says."

Zatora wanted desperately to say, all right – I'll just go back to my friends, but she knew her friends were watching and wouldn't approve of her backing down that easily. "Are you sure you don't want to know?" Zatora asked innocently. "It isn't horrible this time…"

Harry sighed, "Fine, tell me what the paper has to say now."

"Oh," Zatora said casually, "It just says you're lying to all of your adoring fans. Tell me something, why would you lie to all of those love struck girls anyway?"

"I'm not lying to anyone," Harry said defensively.

"Right," Zatora laughed, "and I'm actually flirting with you. There are just some things that are facts in life. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin would never flirt with each other, just like you being told you're lying will never change."

Zatora knew she had gone a little too far as soon as the words had escaped her mouth. Her friends had gone deathly silent behind her as she stared into Harry's face. The pain in his eyes was clear as he turned, followed closely by Ron and Hermione, and walked away. Zatora barely registered Pansy coming up next to her.

"Wow," she whispered, "Zatora that was low – even for you. I'm rather impressed you actually did that…"

Zatora's heart sank as she heard Blaise's voice, "I've never seen you tease someone, Zatora."

Without a thought in her head Zatora ran after Harry, her heart pounding wildly. She had to apologize, explain that she normally wasn't like her friends. Why had she agreed to this in the first place? Her friends may tease people but she knew better than that. She could now see Harry and his friends walking up the hall as embarrassment ran through her mind.

"Potter," Zatora called desperately. "Please – will you let me apologize?"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and Zatora ran the rest of the way to him. At first Zatora thought he would walk away when he didn't turn to face her. Slowly, though, Harry turned to her with an odd expression on his face. "A Slytherin's willing to apologize to a Gryffindor?" Harry asked disbelief in his voice.

"Yes," Zatora sighed, "I want to apologize. I'm normally not like that… I mean – I'm normally not rude to people. It's just my friends; they really wanted me to tease someone, and I… Well, I just sort of cracked under the pressure of them wanting me to be mean to someone. I truly am sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione before saying, "That's okay; I suppose everyone has their moments. Either that, or you have horrible friends."

With that the trio turned and left, leaving Zatora bristling with suppressed anger. Her friends weren't horrible – they just didn't know any better. Most of their families were Pure Bloods and had been involved with the Dark Arts at some time or another. Zatora had, in fact, asked Daphne and Nina why they hated Potter. Their answer had been that they didn't hate him but in they didn't want to look stupid in front of their friends. Daphne had also added that her parents supported the Dark Lord which only meant she'd been raised to dislike Potter for his downfall.

"Hey, Zatora," a voice behind her said softly.

Shocked, Zatora turned to find Blaise standing there. She starred into his eyes and smiled, "Hey Blaise, what's up?"

"Well, the boys and the girls in our year are getting together for a snowball fight. Would you care to join us?" Blaise asked politely.

"You want to know what?" Zatora asked determination in her voice. "I would love to join in a good snowball fight."

"Well," Blaise said, "we have to hurry or we'll be late."

Zatora smiled and followed Blaise out to the grounds. Once out in the snow they made their way to the group. Zatora's smile faded slightly when she noticed Pansy and Draco close together. Ever since they had gotten really close last year they were almost always together. The worst part about it was that Pansy changed when she was with Draco. She was always hanging on him and overly giggly about stupid things. Nevertheless, Zatora reminded herself that Draco, however much she disliked him, was in the same year as she was and participated in most, if not all, group activities.

Blaise cleared his voice, "All right, everyone, listen up! The rules are simple: no magic snowballs, forts, snowmen, or other snow creatures. We're going to split up into teams and try to capture the other team's flag. The loosing team has to supply Butterbeer for everyone from the kitchens."

Tracey shivered in the cold breeze, "Like all the other times we've had snowball fights. Who're the team captains this year?"

Pansy snuggled closer to Draco, "I think Draco should be a captain."

"What about Blaise as the other captain?" Daphne suggested. "I mean, it was his idea to invite all of us."

There was a chorused agreement so Blaise grinned, "Okay, then, we now have our team captains. Let's move on to picking teams."

Draco cleared his voice, "I claim Pansy then."

Blaise shrugged, "Fine, then Zatora can come with me."

Zatora, taken aback, moved over next to Blaise. Draco scowled for a split second before choosing his next teammate. Once the teams were decided they split to make plans. Blaise led the group to the edge of the forest.

"Okay, the key to winning is to lead them to believe they're winning." Blaise said confidently. "We'll have our fighters Crabbe, Miles, and Millicent distract them. Daphne, Nina, Zatora, and I will try to capture the flag. They'll never suspect a two-sided attack as long as we keep hidden and our fighters keep them busy."

"You don't think they'll notice four of us missing?" Nina asked nervously.

"Oh, they'll notice but if they can't find us we have nothing to worry about." Blaise replied calmly, "Come on then girls, we have a flag to steal."

Zatora, Daphne, Nina, and Blaise ran off to the left as Crabbe, Millicent, and Miles began getting snowballs ready and hiding the flag. It wasn't long after they split that the yelling started up and Zatora held back a smile. Quietly she followed Blaise until they were all behind a snow bank.

Daphne whispered, "I think, if we went only two at a time, we might have a better chance."

"Good idea," Blaise whispered back. "Nina go with Daphne first. Zatora and I will follow shortly after you two leave."

Nina glance at the commotion and muttered, "Let's go, Daphne."

Quickly they ran to the next bank and before long they disappeared entirely from sight. Blaise glanced over at Zatora before saying softly, "Let's go towards the lake when we go."

"Got it," Zatora nodded. Without hesitation they ran for cover, heading towards the lake and the trees. Carefully they maneuvered around the chaos of the snowballs until they could see the other team's flag. Zatora starred at it from behind her tree but she didn't dare make a run for it. Pansy was close to the flag, throwing snowballs from a pile next to her.

"Hey – we have intruders on our side!" a voice called from Zatora's right.

"Run for it!" Blaise yelled on her left.

Zatora ran out from behind the tree she'd been hiding behind. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Zatora ran past Blaise and grabbed the flag, some how dodging the snowballs from Pansy. As quickly as possible she ran away, with Blaise close behind her, heading towards home base. At first Zatora could hear the others chasing them but suddenly their voice turned to cries of warning.

"Zatora – stop! There's ice!" Pansy shrieked.

"Seriously, you two, you're going to hit solid ice in about a second." Tracey yelled.

"Like I'm falling for that one," Zatora told Blaise.

Suddenly her foot came down on slick ground. Surprised, she fell and slid across the lake at full speed. Zatora flew across the lake, right into a large snow bank. She was trying to stand up when Blaise ran into her legs, causing her to slip and fall.

Blaise got up and stretched out his hand for Zatora's. "Here, let me help you," Blaise said, pulling her to a standing position. No sooner were they standing, when once again Zatora slipped, dragging Blaise with her.

"Oh my goodness," Zatora laughed, "Blaise, I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just cold and covered in snow." Blaise said, sitting up.

Zatora got up, brushing snow off of her clothes. Blaise followed suite and grinned mischievously, "Ha – we just won the game. We have their flag on our side!"

"That worked out nicely then," Zatora laughed, moving her hair out of her face.

Daphne and Nin ran up to them breathlessly. Daphne panted, "Are you two okay? We saw you slip on the ice."

"We're fine, Daphne, and we have their flag!"

Nina cheered, "Game over, Blaise's team just won!"

"Let's go back to the others and tell them," Blaise reasoned. "Besides, Draco will probably call a rematch."

The fifth year Slytherin's were all tired when they walked into the common room with Butterbeers. Most collapsed on the couches near the fire while others moved off to talk in groups. Pansy sat down next to Zatora and said, "Okay, those games were extremely intense."

"Yeah," Zatora sighed watching Blaise across the room. Never in her entire life had she felt attracted to someone. Sure, when she had been asked out last year she'd thought the boy was hot, but never had she been drawn to someone because she like him. That had been true, until she got to know Blaise. He was kind, protective, determined yet fair, not to mention good looking—

"Zatora – are you even listening to me?" Pansy asked.

"What – of course I'm listening to you," Zatora started.

"You know, Blaise is watching you," Pansy teased.

Zatora straightened slightly, "Is he?"

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Goodness, you've got it bad and that's saying something."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"You're head over heals in love with Blaise."

"I am not!" Zatora snapped earning a skeptical look from Pansy. She sighed defeated, "All right – so maybe I have a small crush on him."

"Why don't you just tell him that you like him?" Pansy giggled, nudging Zatora slightly.

"No!" Zatora shook her head.

"And why not?" Pansy shot at her.

"Because, I want him to say he likes me," Zatora sighed. "Not only that, but I don't want another Yule Ball like incident by jumping into a date too soon and appearing desperate."

Pansy frowned, "But I know he likes you—"

"Just drop it," Zatora said softly. "Look, I'm really tired. I'm going to bed, good night Pansy." Without another word Zatora got up and headed towards the girls dormitory.

**I told you I was going to have a fun time writing all of this and I really did. It took me a while longer but I have chapter 16 almost finished and 15 in my head (I've taken to writing in a notebook and I skipped 15 on accident so now I'm going back). I am going to warn you that 15 will probably be a shorter chapter, due to the fact that not a lot will be going on in that chapter except Zatora talking to Professor Snape about her profession. I do promise that it'll be a good chapter and that chapter 16 will be longer and better than that one. So, until I finish chapter 15 you'll just have to enjoy chapter 14!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	15. Career Advice

Chapter 15 – Career Advice

**So here is chapter 15! Wow, I'm getting so excited about being this far along in a story. I've never gone this far but I believe this is a good story to be reading/writing. Maybe that has something to do with it… I'm really sorry about the delay for this chapter. I've been dealing with medical issues for the last couple of months and I've been out of it for a while. However, I did not forget about this story and I do plan to finish it. I've been trying to recover and it's been a slow and long process. What I can promise though, is that I have the next three chapters written in my notebook and will have them up as soon as possible when I get the chance. Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter and be on the look out. I'm going to warn that it may take a little longer, as I don't always feel up to much of anything, but I will get those chapters typed and up for all of the fans to enjoy. Please enjoy this chapter and I apologize for the delay.**

"Listen to this, you guys," Pansy giggled over the usual babble of talk in the Great Hall. "I heard that the people who test us for our final exams come from the ministry."

Zatora swallowed a mouthful of food, "What's funny about that?"

"It might be easier to pass the tests due to the fact that they're old and might have problems remembering what they're doing." Pansy stated, causing a huge uproar from those sitting in their usual group.

Zatora looked away half heartedly, as the rest of them conversed over the examiners, wondering how easy it would be to let something slip by them. She'd been feeling sort of out of it for the last couple of days but she knew why. In fact, tonight she was the quietest she'd ever been because tonight she was about to set her future plans with Professor Snape. Part of her wondered if her plans were even rational; why did she even want to go into the field she had chosen? Would it be silly to go there when none of her friends approved. At the same time, she was the happiest when she could get away in what she loved doing.

"Pansy, it might be easy to sneak something past them. However," Draco said with a sly smile, "when you have a Father who has connections in the Ministry of Magic it should be no problem to score nothing less than an E on almost everything."

"Right, which is why you're failing McGonagall's class right now," Daphne giggled, causing Draco to pale slightly.

"I'm not failing, Daphne," Draco snapped. "In fact, I'm barely passing. There's a difference."

Millicent rolled her eyes, "That's still bad Draco, and you know it."

The Slytherin's laughed as Draco turned a deep shade of red. "It's not funny," Draco said, as Crabbe and Goyle laughed with the rest of their group. The laughing sounded shrill to Zatora as she watched everyone teasing Draco.

"Ugh – can't you guys grow up? Draco isn't the only one not doing well with his classes. In fact, last time I checked, Millicent, you're barely passing at least four of your classes."

"What's your problem?" Pansy asked looking taken aback.

Zatora sighed as she took in everyone's startled faces. "I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. I suppose I'm just nervous about my meeting with Professor Snape."

Daphne smiled, "It'll be okay, Zatora. I was really nervous too before my meeting. Believe me it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be."

Millicent rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Zatora, we were only joking when we said our meetings were terrible. You shouldn't worry so much."

Pansy sighed, "Honestly Zatora, your meeting will go great. Besides, Professor Snape really likes you."

Zatora nodded mutely as everyone went back to their discussions as if nothing had happened. The thing that bothered her, the most, about her upcoming meeting with Professor Snape, was admitting what she wanted to do with her life. She had dreamt, since third year, about studying magical creatures. How often she had sketched and perfected her notes on magical creatures; she'd lost count by now. There was an undeniable connection between her and the creatures she met. She'd read about, in her free time, certain people capable of communicating with animals through thoughts. What she had was different; she knew what they needed just by looking at them. When she got to handle them the animal, and herself, would calm down. Which was why, Zatora knew she could make a significant difference in what she wanted to do as a career.

Five minutes before her meeting, Zatora bid her friends farewell and walked down to Professor Snape's office. She paused, gathering her courage to actually knock on the door. Finally she knocked, heard a "come in", and walked into the office.

"Good evening, Zatora," Professor Snape said. "Go ahead and sit down and we'll get started."

Zatora sat down, quickly attempting to make herself, comfortable in the chair. She looked at the jars around the room and smiled slightly. The room definitely suited Professor Snape. Dark and subtle yet strangely discomforting was just who Snape was. Sure, it was different but she had a deep respect for her Head of House.

"So, tell me what you plan on going into Zatora." Snape said, looking up from a folder on his desk.

"I want to work with creatures." Zatora said quickly, "Caring for, domesticating, and defending magical creatures. Maybe one day, with enough money, I can start my own business."

"You like creatures, I take it."

Zatora nodded urgently, "I love creatures."

Snape nodded, "According to Professor Hagrid you have a wonderful talent. In fact, he's put down that he'd find it beneficial for your career to take advanced study in this area. You'll also need to continue with Potions and Herbology – poisons are a risk in this area as you probably know."

"What other classes would I need to take?" Zatora questioned, clinging to his every word.

"I would suggest Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense all of which may come in use in this area. I would also talk to the Ancient Runes teachers about private lessons in languages. That should give you a pretty full schedule for the next two years." Snape explained writing down each subject on a piece of parchment. "After that, you'd go to the Ministry for more training before taking a final exam and getting a job."

"Sounds like a brilliant plan to me." Zatora said happily.

"You may go then," Snape said. "You're grades are fine so just keep it up and you should be right on track for what you want to do."

Zatora nodded while gathering her bag and standing up. She smiled before heading for the door. At the door her hand paused on the handle. Looking back she said, "Thank you, Professor Snape."

Snape looked up from his paper work. "You're welcome. Good evening, Zatora."

Smiling, Zatora left the room with high hopes for the future.

**I know it's uncommonly short for what I've done in the past. That's really what I wanted to get across though. This chapter was supposed to deal with what Zatora really wanted to do with her life. It wasn't about what her friends wanted anymore it was about what she wanted. Hence the reason it was so short, because right now the only thing she thinks she wants is her life to go as she planned right now. Don't worry though. The next chapter we're going to get going with her sixth year, which I'll be doing a lot with because a lot of important things happen in her sixth year that will change everything. So I'll leave you wondering what's going to happen that's going to change everything and tell you that the next chapter **_**will**_** be longer then this one.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	16. A Simple Kiss

Chapter 16 –A Simple Kiss

**Look I got this chapter up faster! Yay! Okay, so I have everything written up to chapter 20 so things should come a little faster now because all I have to do is type it from my notebook onto the computer(and edit along the way, but it's still faster). I'm going to warn that this is where things will be very different from the books. As this is an AU story I needed to change stuff to make it fit for the plot and where I intend to be going with this story. I hope you like this chapter, I was literally so excited when I wrote this. This is a really crucial chapter because a lot happens for Zatora that will be extremely important for her final year at Hogwarts. I'll let you wonder now what's going to happen and why I decided to entitle the chapter as I did… Please leave a review! They're really a boost when it comes to updating faster. Enjoy!**

Zatora entered her sixth year of Hogwarts still carrying a fervent crush on Blaise. Mathew had teased her a bit about liking someone over the summer, but it hadn't really bothered her that much. It was just an ordinary crush that most teenage girls her age had already experienced. In fact, usually nothing ever came of a childhood crush so there really wasn't anything to worry about. Nevertheless, she had asked her mom about like Blaise and she had been okay with any possibilities of dating in the near future. Besides, after her OWL scores came in, her mother thought it would be a good idea for her to get out a little more. She had managed to pass all of her exams with Exceeds, with a few Outstanding, which, she had to admit, had been due to all the studying she'd put in. Her mother and father had been impressed, but now they were worried she didn't do anything with her free time except study. Zatora was now determined to prove them wrong on their theory, or at least she hoped she could prove them wrong.

Zatora had managed to juggle school, friends, and flirting here and there with Blaise in her fifth year easily. However, soon after starting sixth year she found that she was the only sixth year going on with Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. This meant she would be spending most of her free time helping with creature care. Although this was a small draw back, Zatora loved being around the creatures. Not only that, but she was able to add more to her notebook. On top of it all she also had Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. She was also talking a lot with the Ancient Runes teacher, who happened to know a lot of different languages she might need to know with her career choice. In the long run, her free time vanished for a while until she found her balance with her new schedule.

There were also changes to the staff. Snape was away on "business" according to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn had taken his place. Then there was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Virren. The Slytherins didn't really like him; Professor Virren had been a Gryffindor in his youth and therefore despised Slytherins. Although he tried to be open-minded, he tended to find faults in everything they did while in his class.

Which was why Zatora felt so relieved when Christmas break was finally in view. Zatora came out of her last class before break to find Blaise waiting for her. He smiled and stepped towards her. She smiled back, "Hey Blaise. What are you doing here?"

"I have a question to ask you." Blaise explained walking with her down to dinner.

"Alright, what's the question?" Zatora asked slightly curious.

"Well, Slughorn is having a formal Christmas party and I was wondering if you would be my date."

Zatora stopped walking and turned to look at Blaise. "Are you seriously asking me to go on a date with you?"

"Oh come on Zatora." Blaise laughed at her stunned expression. "Has it really been that hard for you to see that I like you? I would have thought it was obvious, considering that most of the Slytherins in our year know."

"You like me?" Zatora asked blushing rapidly.

"I've liked you since our fourth year, Zatora," Blaise said softly.

Zatora smiled, "I like you too, actually. I was just afraid to admit it in front of you."

"So, would you like to be my date to the party?" Blaise asked hesitantly.

"Of course I'll go with you," Zatora said excitement in her voice.

Blaise grinned, his eyes lighting up with happiness. "Great – it is formal so you'll need to find a dress."

"I'm sure Pansy will help in my free time." Zatora said, "Speaking of time, what time is it right now?"

"Ten after six," Blaise said glancing at his watch.

"Oh my gosh! I'm late for feeding!" Zatora said a hint of panic in her voice. "I'm really sorry Blaise, but I have to go."

"Wait, what about dinner?"

"I won't get that until eight at Hagrids'. We get the house elves to send some food over." Zatora said turning to leave.

"Oh – maybe we can have dinner together another day," Blaise replied.

Zatora stopped and walked back to Blaise. "I only do feeding twice a week. The rest of the time I have dinner with everyone else."

"What would you say to breakfast tomorrow?" Blaise asked softly.

"I'd say I'll meet you in the common room at seven." Zatora muttered, "Now, I really have to go – is that alright?"

"Yeah, I suppose it's alright if you go." Blaise said with a smile.

Zatora couldn't help but smile as she ran down to Hagrids'. She couldn't believe that Blaise had asked her out. Not only had he asked her out once but twice in one go – breakfast and a party. To add to that he had said he liked her. Today was turning out to be one of the best days she had had in a long time.

* * *

"Zatora – will you please hold still for a few more minutes?"

"Pansy, Blaise and I are going to be late," Zatora said impatiently.

"Do you want to look good or not?" Pansy asked annoyed.

"Well, yeah."

"Then don't complain about how speedy I do my work." Pansy snapped, starting to pick at Zatora's hair again.

"Will you at least try to hurry?" Zatora begged.

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Just calm down, will you?"

Zatora sighed softly but remained quiet until Pansy said, "I think I've created a work of art."

"I would give you my opinion, but I don't have a mirror in front of me." Zatora pointed out.

"Gosh you are so impatient!" Angrily, Pansy snatched up a mirror, thrusting it into Zatora's hands.

Zatora lifted the mirror and gasped in surprise. Never, in her entire life, could she have imagined she could look so good. Pansy had pinned up her hair in twirls and circles, with part of the strands curled while the rest were wavy. Her lips, which were usually a soft red color, were now a dark shade of light pink; her cheeks were blushed every so slightly and all of this went well with her dress. The dress they had found was blue with a delicate pattern sown into the gown.

Pansy glanced down at her nails, "I know I am amazing, so you really don't need to remind me. Maybe, someday, I'll start my own business. The perfect title would be: Pansy's Magical Hair Salon."

Zatora smoothed out some wrinkles in her blue dress. "Pansy, you're hands work wonders when it comes to making people look good."

"You know, Blaise is probably waiting for you downstairs." Pansy said casually.

"Oh my goodness!" Zatora said breathlessly. "Thank you, Pansy. You're honestly one of the best friends I've ever had."

Zatora walked into the common room and immediately spotted Blaise. Blaise smiled when he saw her, "Wow you look stunning."

"Thanks," Zatora blushed, crossing the distance between them. They stared at each other for a long moment, enjoying the closeness between them.

"Well, let's get going then," Blaise said, offering her his hand.

Together they walked to Professor Slughorns room and into the party. A radio was playing quietly in the background as Blaise and Zatora walked around the room. They made it over to a punch table, which also contained a lot of food. Zatora picked up a glass and took a sip before saying, "Well, this is incredibly fun."

"Yeah, I bet you have an idea what his first dinner party was like now." Blaise laughed taking a swig from his own glass.

"I'm just sorry you had to endure it." Zatora said teasingly, "Sad that this was your best idea for a first date. I must say I'm disappointed with your tactics at wooing me. Honestly, I was expecting a lot more from you."

"We could always make this date interesting," Blaise said with a grin.

"How do you propose we do that?" Zatora asked with a skeptical look.

Blaise opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a hand gripping his shoulder tightly. "Blaise, my boy," Professor Slughorn said in his usual bouncy self. "I'm so glad you made it. Not only did you get here but you brought with you the gal whose been getting some heads turning, if you know what I mean. I also seem to not know her very well."

Blaise winked at Zatora, "She's in your potions class like I am."

"I'm Zatora," Zatora stated simply. "You have to excuse his manners; he apparently doesn't know how to properly introduce people."

"Ah," Professor Slughorn said, "Yes, I remember you now. You have a humor about you as well, excellent, excellent. Forgive me, for my slow paced memory. I do see a lot of students in the week."

"Oh, it's alright. I am in Slytherin though," Zatora said as Blaise moved to stand next to her.

"Really – may I know who your parents are?"

"My – my parents, sir?"

"Yes, you remind me of someone, but I can't think of whom."

"I was adopted when I was eight – I never knew my parents – at least not my real parents. I was in the orphanage when I was a baby." Zatora said softly.

Slughorn frowned, "Did anyone ever tell you your parents' names?"

"My mother's name was Vanessa Nimwater. They didn't know what my father's name was." Zatora said, slightly confused.

Briefly, Zatora saw Slughorn's eyes go wide with fright. She blinked and he was back to his normal, happy self. Slughorn smiled brightly, "Oh, well – you two have a good time tonight. I have a bunch of guests whom I still need to speak to."

Swiftly he walked away before Blaise or Zatora could say another word. Zatora shook her head slightly, "He's a very strange man."

"You can say that again." Blaise said still stunned by the conversation.

"Did he seem almost scared of me?" Zatora asked, looking at Blaise.

"That's what it seemed like for a minute there," Blaise said, rubbing her shoulders with his hands. "Don't think about it too much, he probably just doesn't like the fact that you don't know who your real parents are. Watch, I'll bet you anything they were someone famous that Professor Slughorn knew and he'll feel terrible once he figures it out."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. So, what was your plan on making our date "interesting", as you put it?" Zatora asked curiously.

Blaise grinned, took her hands, and dragged Zatora out onto the dance floor. He spun her around before pulling her close to him and wrapping his arms around her. Zatora smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her eyes glanced around the room and she was surprised to find people staring at them.

"People are looking at us," Zatora whispered, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Only because you're beautiful," Blaise muttered into her ear.

Zatora blushed slightly before placing her head on his strong shoulder. They swayed to the music, enjoying each others company. When the song ended Zatora pulled away from his hold. Blaise smiled at her, "Do you want to leave."

She nodded, "Yeah, but where would we go?"

"Meander through the halls?" Blaise asked innocently.

Zatora contemplated this idea before timidly nodding. He grasped her hand firmly and led her towards the door. They passed Professor Slughorn, who opened his mouth to say something but Blaise cut him off. "Wow, would you look at the time! It's getting so late and we're really tired. All the dancing and mingling really takes a lot of energy. We are going to go back to our common room. See you later, Professor." Blaise smiled happily before walking out the door with Zatora in tow.

Once safely on the floor below Zatora laughed, "I can't believe you told him that. Did you see his face? Professor Slughorn looked so overwhelmed when you finished you're speech."

"I know, but it was the only way we were going to get out of there." Blaise said, taking Zatora's hand and bringing it to his lips. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand, their fingers still interlaced.

They walked down to the common room slowly. Their conversation flowed easily from one thing to the next. Zatora smiled as she talked about her family, hopes, dreams, fears, school, and anything that came to her mind. She listened to Blaise, about his problems with his father, school, what his favorite subjects were. It was amazing how she could cling to his every word and not get bored with him.

Before long, they were standing in front of the entrance to the girl's dormitory in the Slytherin Common Room. Zatora smiled happily at Blaise. "Thank you," she said.

"For What?"

"For the wonderful date," She replied with a radiating smile. "We both know my last date was terrible. I never knew a date could be fun and magical, that was until now."

"But the date isn't completely over just yet," Blaise said, a smile hinting from his lips to his eyes.

Zatora looked at him, confusion filling her gaze. Blaise leaned in towards her, placing his lips on hers. Surprised by the action she melted into the kiss. It felt so good to finally be kissing the one she had had a crush on for almost a year and a half. Finally he pulled away with a huge grin on his face. "Now you can say the date is over," Blaise whispered to her.

Zatora smiled, "Good night, Blaise." Without another thought in her mind, she turned and left to go to her dormitory. She slipped into the room, change quietly, and went to her bed. Collapsing backwards onto her bed, Zatora listened to the sleeping girls around her. They would ask her tons of questions in the morning. A sigh escaped her lips as she heard Freddy slither up onto her bed.

"How was your date?" He whispered softly.

Zatora grinned, "It was absolutely wonderful." With yet another sigh, she rolled over and fell asleep with a kiss lingering on her lips.

**So, what did you think? What are you all thinking right now? I want to know if you like the idea of Blaise or find it rather strange that he's now in the picture as a boyfriend. Were you shocked, surprised, unhappy, overcome with giddiness? Do you like them together or would rather they weren't. All I'm going to say is Blaise is important right now and leave it at that. Leave a review and tell me. I hope you all enjoyed and be on the look out for chapter 17!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	17. Beautiful

Chapter 17 –Beautiful

**Okay, this chapter came to me out of the blue. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about this chapter when I first wrote it, but after rereading what I wrote I think it needs to stay in the story. This really is a touching chapter and I'm rather happy with the outcome. You'll see why I feel so strongly for this chapter when you read it. I want to take a few seconds to thank the people who reviewed! dianawbp7, Sweetcars12, and KatheeHDS thank your comments. I would also like the thank anyone else who left a review for chapter 15(or left a review around the same time) because I didn't thank anyone in chapter 15; Blackrose-you touch you die, Airazena, dianawbp7 (again), and julieakaweirdo thank you for the reviews you left. I really do greatly appreciate the reviews I've been getting. I do see the common question of, when will Zatora know about Voldemort being her Dad. All I can say is that it's coming soon, really soon! I already have the chapter written, although I'm going to leave it up to you to wonder if it's going to be 18, 19, or 20. Be on the look out and now I'll leave you to the chapter.**

Zatora gasped as a pillow was thrown on top of her head. Disoriented, she sat up and fell out of bed. Hearing a chorus of giggles around her, she hurried to stand up only to hit her head against the under side of her bed. Eyes welling up with tears, Zatora got to her feet rubbing the side of her head.

"Why didn't you wake us up last night?" Pansy shouted at her.

Zatora groaned, "What?"

Tracey laughed, "After the party you didn't wake us up to let us know how your date went."

"Yeah and according to Padma, who heard it from her sister, who heard it from Blaise's friends, you have a boyfriend." Nina said happily.

"I – I do?" Zatora asked, sitting down on her bed.

Pansy grinned, "I told you he liked it!"

"Who likes me?" Zatora asked still confused by all the information.

The girls exchanged looks before Millicent exclaimed, "Well, he kissed you last night!"

Zatora stared at Millicent for a second, still slightly dazed and confused. When everything finally caught up to her tired mind her eyes widened. The other girls giggled around her, causing her to blush profusely. Pansy jumped on to the bed next to her, "So, how was it?"

"How was what?" Zatora asked still blushing.

Daphne rolled her eyes, "The kiss. You did kiss him, right?"

"He kissed me and…" Zatora paused; letting out a soft sigh, a smile playing at her lips, "The kiss was wonderful."

* * *

Blaise and Zatora were almost inseparable. They sat next to each other in classes, ate meals together, worked on homework as one, and sat in the common room side by side. Within a few weeks they knew so much about each other that they could finish each others sentences if they felt like it. Zatora enjoyed every moment she was with Blaise. It was the highlight of her days when she could just be alone with Blaise.

Although, there were still times when she enjoyed being on her own. Despite her deep love for her boyfriend, she also enjoyed the few moments she got away from him; and everyone else for that matter. Her time away from everyone was when she was down at Hagrids, taking care of the creatures. Zatora enjoyed being with the animals and caring for them. It was the one place she could be on her own, or talk to Hagrid.

At the present time they were taking care of Puffballs. These were a cross between nifflers and some other creature. They had soft, fluffy brown hair all over their bodies that was on the long side. All of them were round, with small little feet, a long tail and lengthy snouts. With pointy, cat like ears on their heads and big, brown eyes they were similar to cuddly teddy bears. They liked to keep things uncannily tidy and if you left them alone with a mess, by the morning the mess would be all cleaned up.

Zatora opened the lid of the box the Puffballs were in. Blaise was working on some difficult Arithmancy homework in the common room. They had been a couple for two months now and Zatora couldn't be happier. Blaise had come, on several occasions, to help her feed the animals. She didn't mind the intrusion, although Zatora did sometimes like it was just another excuse to be around her and avoid homework. It wasn't a big deal, it just meant more time spent with him.

One of the Puffballs, a rather special one with blue eyes, stood up on its hind legs. Zatora smiled, reaching down to pick him up. "Hey, you're ready for dinner now aren't you?" She perched herself on the ground, grabbed a bottle of milk, and began feeding. The Puffball sniffed the bottle for a second before attacking the milk. She giggled as the little creature got a very content look in its eyes as the milk began going down in the bottle.

As soon as she finished feeding the Puffballs, she moved on to some of the larger creatures. Hagrid had recently been tending to Aragog, the giant spider, whom she liked to check up on. He resided a short distance away from Hagrids front door. Zatora carefully walked over to him and sat down, pulling out her notebook and a quill.

"Hagrid," Aragog clicked, his eyes searching despite being blind.

"Nope; Zatora this time actually."

"Hello Zatora. I suppose you've come for more stories?" Aragog inquired.

Zatora nodded while sketching Aragog's face to the collection of pictures she'd already drawn of him. "Yeah, I'm always looking for more information. You know so much about your kind. Besides, not many people can say they've interviewed an acromantula and live to tell the tale. I have pages devoted to just your kind, thanks to you, in my notebook. Although, if you don't feel up to stories this evening that's okay. We can always just chat."

"I believe I've told you everything I can about my kind. Why don't we just chat," Aragog said, shifting some of his large legs.

"Okay, want to play the questions game again?"

Aragog clicked his pincers in a weak, yet excited manor which, roughly translated, meant 'of course'. "I believe it's your turn to start," he said happily.

"How did you go blind?" Zatora asked, gazing into his milky white eyes.

"I was younger when that happened. I'd been living in darkness when Hagrid came to me one evening and said he had to take me some where safe. Unfortunately, a boy, Tom, caught him and accused him of the Chamber of Secrets ordeal. He attempted to shoot a spell at me, but Hagrid lunged. The spell was so bright that I lost my eye sight. I ran and Hagrid was expelled. All in all, Tom was a loose or loose situation. Did I tell you about the Chamber of Secrets? I always forget, old age you know." Aragog said with a bitter note in his voice.

"Yes, but you never told me this story," Zatora said in awe. "I had no idea Hagrid was expelled."

Aragog hung his head in sadness and said, "I've felt terrible for what I caused Hagrid my entire life."

"Oh Aragog, it wasn't your fault. Tom sounds like he was a bully, most likely a nasty Slytherin to boot. He framed Hagrid and besides, the whole school knows that Hagrid never opened the Chamber. You weren't the monster and Tom jumped to irrational conclusions." Zatora said force.

"You're a Slytherin, are you not?"

"Yes, but my older brothers are in Gryffindor. I have good examples to look up to. The other Slytherins have only their parents, or older siblings, who are involved in the Dark Arts or with You-Know-Who, to look up to. I'm just lucky to have a good family."

"So, you're telling me that you have no interest in the Dark Arts? You're Mother left you, you're Father probably has no idea you exist, you spent your child years in an orphanage, and you still don't fell that the Dark Arts could have made your life better, after all you've been through?"

"Nope, because every bad thing I've been through there has always been good to pull me through. Which is why I can say, without any hesitation, that if I trust in the good things in my life I'll always pull through," Zatora said a firmness in her voice. "Besides, the bad things have never brought me happiness. The Dark Arts causes pain. I wouldn't want to cause anyone the pain of loosing something or someone because I know what that feels like. It may seem strange, but I know what it's like to loose family. Then again, I don't really know if my Mother is alive or dead, but I lost her when I was left at the orphanage. That sort of pain doesn't just go away."

"Don't you regret her decision to give you up? You lost the one thing a girl shouldn't have to loose, and that's a mother." Aragog stated simply.

"If she wouldn't have given me up I wouldn't have the family I have now," Zatora said thoughtfully. "So, in a strange way, I'm almost grateful she gave me up. There's nothing in the world that would get me to trade what I have now. Sure, it would have been great to have my real Mother. My parents now, though, and my siblings are so important to me. So no, I don't regret anything in my life."

"The man who wins your heart will be the luckiest man alive." Aragog said simply.

Zatora was taken aback, "Why do you say that?"

"I can tell that you are a strong and beautiful woman, Zatora."

"How do you know that, you can't see me?"

"You don't need to see someone to know if they're beautiful or strong. You don't back down from your beliefs, from what you just told me about not going to the Dark Arts," Aragog explained. "My dear friend, you don't regret anything in your life even though there is obvious pain in it. You also said you didn't want to cause others pain. That is a form of beauty in itself. In fact, I'm sure that's why most, if not all, creatures like you. They can sense you won't hurt them. To top off your beauty, the sound of your voice is the most beautiful thing I've every heard."

"Really?"

Aragog nodded slightly, "I would be able to die peacefully to the sound of your voice."

"I'm honored that you love the sound of my voice." Zatora said tears falling down her cheeks. "Aragog, I must say that you are not going to die. You're going to get better, especially if you stay positive."

"If I don't get better though," Aragog said with a sigh, "would you talk to me while I pass on?"

Zatora wiped away her tears, "Of course I would talk to you while you die."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Aragog shifted his body, listening to the sounds around him as night began to descend upon the castle grounds. He clicked his pincers, "It sounds like it's getting late. You should probably check in with Hagrid and get back to the castle. Thank you for talking with me. I need to rest now."

Zatora stood up, placing her notebook back in her bag. She walked over to Aragog's head and placed a kiss on top of it. "Good night, Aragog. Thank you for helping me to see myself as you envision, me."

Zatora walked back to Hagrid's and knocked on the door. She heard Fang bark loudly before the door opened. Hagrid smiled down at her, Fang attempting to push Hagrid aside to get to Zatora. "Are yeh all done with feedin'?" Hagrid asked, pulling Fang away from the door to let her in.

Zatora stepped into the house and shut the door. "Yeah, all the creatures and fed and taken care of," she set down her bag just as Fang jumped on her, knocking her to the floor. He licked her face and she giggled. "Hello Fang!" Zatora said as Hagrid pulled him off of her.

"Dinner's on the table. Yeh'd better eat quickly and get back to yer common room." Hagrid said as he stoked the fire.

She sat down and pulled the plate of food towards her. The food was delicious and she ate her fill. Once finished, Zatora took some swigs of pumpkin juice to wash everything down. Satisfied she stood up and went over to her bag by the door. "Okay, I'd better get going Hagrid. I may stop by tomorrow to check on the creatures. If not, I'll see you in class on Monday?"

"Actually, yeh need to come Sunday."

"What? Why do I need to come on Sunday? I don't usually do feeding on Sundays."

"I've been talking to Charlie Weasley and he's got some dragon eggs that are ready to hatch. He said he could bring 'em late tomorrow night so yeh can watch 'em hatch the next day." Hagrid explained. "I figure, seeing as yer doing such an amazin' job with the creatures, you would enjoy this."

Zatora grinned, "Really? Oh my gosh; that's going to be fun – I – wow! Just wow! I'll be there. Can I bring Blaise? We were going to have a date but this would be ten times cooler."

"Yes, that would be okay," Hagrid said with a smile.

"Thank you! I'll be here on Sunday then!" Zatora said running out the door.

She ran from Hagrid's to the castle, excitement filling every fiber in her body. Laughing, she twirled around, looking up at the stars above her. Zatora ran through the Great Hall, down through the Dungeons, until she reached the entrance to the common room. "P – p – parslemouth," Zatora gasped with a huge grin on her face.

Walking into the common room, she immediately saw Blaise sitting alone on the couch. Quickly she went to him, plopping down next to him. He looked up from the book he was reading and smiled. "Hey sweetie," Blaise said kissing her. "How was feeding?"

"Great! I know what we can do for our date on Sunday," Zatora said still slightly breathless.

"What do you have in mind?" Blaise asked, taking one of her hands in his.

Zatora smiled, "Well, Hagrid pulled some strings and he's going to let us watch some dragons hatch. I mean, this is huge! Not many people get to see this. So what do you think? Can we watch the dragons hatch for our date? I know it's not very romantic, but the coolness of this event should make up for the romantic part right?"

Blaise looked at her, a stunned look on his face. Her smile faded as the stunned expression turned to one of seriousness. Zatora waited with baited breath for his answer. At last Blaise said gently, "If that's what you want to do, then I'll be there with you."

"Thank you Blaise!" Zatora said relieved and grateful.

Blaise leaned in towards her and pressed his lips to hers. Zatora smiled, closing her eyes as she kissed him back. Her hands stayed in front of her while one of Blaise's moved to her cheek, caressing the skin there with his thumb. They kissed passionately, enjoying the closeness of each other and the heat rising between them.

"Oh get a room," a voice said behind Zatora.

They broke apart, and Zatora turned to find Draco sitting in an arm chair. Zatora glared at him, "What's your problem?"

"I just don't want to watch a make out session while I'm attempting to enjoy myself in this room." Draco replied.

"Yeah, I had to endure the same torture when you were kissing Pansy all over the place," Zatora snapped. "I learned to ignore it, you should do the same. The practice could be useful for you."

"Well, I would rather you two get a room." Draco sneered.

Blaise put his arm around Zatora's shoulders. "I'm sure, if you really want that, we can find a dark, quiet room away from curious eyes."

Zatora smiled slightly, catching on to what Blaise was doing. "Oh yes, the perfect, romantic moment for the two of us; a night to remember," she sighed happily.

"Ugh, never mind I'll just leave," Draco said standing up.

"You can't tell me you honestly believe we'd do such a thing?" Zatora laughed watching Draco.

"You shouldn't talk about stuff like that, even if it is a joke!" Draco snapped before leaving the boys dormitories.

Zatora turned back to Blaise, "What's his problem?"

Blaise shrugged, "I have no idea; I've never seen him so mean, especially to you."

"I wonder what the problem is."

"Don't worry about it," Blaise said kissing her forehead gently. "Did you see his face when we were talking about getting a room?"

Zatora laughed along with Blaise, "Yeah, it was priceless."

"It's getting late," Blaise said as Zatora yawned. "We'd better go to bed."

"Yeah," Zatora said as Blaise kissed her again.

Blaise smiled at her, "I'll walk you to the girl's entrance to the dormitories."

Hand in hand they walked across the common room. Upon reaching the entrance they turned to face each other. Blaise brushed his lips against Zatora's and said softly, "Good night."

"Good night," Zatora breathed a smile upon her face. She turned to leave and was almost out of sight when she heard her name called. Confused she turned to look back at Blaise. There was a gentle look in his eyes as he looked at her across the distance between them.

He smiled at her, "I love you, Zatora."

Zatora smiled back, "I love you too Blaise. I'll see you in the morning." With that she turned and left.

**What do you think? Did I get any strong feelings on this chapter? Was the romance too much to handle or was it just right? Please leave a review and let me know! The next chapter is going to be a turning point as well. Then again, the next three chapters are going to be huge, crucial chapters for the story. You'll see why. Do I have the suspense building yet?**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	18. Blood Soaked Sunset

Chapter 18 –Blood Soaked Sunset

**Okay, things are about to get interesting… Then again, I've been saying this for a while now. I think, if you liked the previous chapter with Zatora and Blaise, you'll like this one a lot. There is a lot going on for Blaise and Zatora in this chapter, and a few confessions.**

"What do you want to do as your career?" Zatora asked. Her eyes were closed as Blaise ran his fingers through her hair.

It was Sunday afternoon and they were in Hagrid's back yard. Blaise was sitting with his back against the hut while Zatora was lying on her back, her head in his lap. The dragon eggs were being stubborn, so Charlie and his friends were attempting to get them to hatch by placing them in the fire. Zatora had made several sketches of the eggs; a few of them even had cracks. They were close to hatching, but no quite there.

Blaise pondered the question, "I'm not sure… Get married, have a family, live happily ever after. That pretty much covers what I want from life."

Zatora opened her eyes and glared at Blaise, "I'm serious. I want to know what you're planning on doing."

"I was serious too," Blaise countered. "That's really what I want to do – or at least what I hope to do."

"I meant what you're doing for a career," Zatora said sternly. "I'm sorry to inform you but being a parent is hardly a career. You'll get no where with it, other then possible happiness. Even then, children can be annoying, you have to feed your family, keep your wife happy, and you'll have to get a job. A real job, because any girl you marry will refuse to do all the working. I mean, it's a one way street that two people head out on. You don't have the time to sit around and do nothing."

"Oh, well that's comforting," Blaise said shifting slightly. "Thank you for shattering my future dreams."

"Okay, you have to have some idea what you want to do for a job. I want to talk about your future, your goals, and your plans. You know what I want to do but you always avoid telling me your plans."

"That's because I can't make my plans, they've already been made for me." Blaise said with a frustrated sigh.

There was silence for a while as Zatora digested the information she'd just received. "What do you mean?" She asked curious.

"My Father wants me to go into the family business." Blaise explained.

"That's not that bad, is it?"

"It is when your Dad works for the Dark Lord."

Zatora stared at him, "But isn't that what you've always wanted… I mean, you and Draco always talk about that kind of stuff, that's what Pansy told me."

"It was what I wanted," Blaise said softly. "It's not what I want now, though."

"So what do you want now? I mean, I thought it was your highest ambition to please your Father and join the forces."

Blaise sighed again, "A lot of things changed when I fell in love with you in fourth year. At first I thought I could both please my Father and have you. However, I started to notice that with my dad he had to be extremely careful and do exactly what the Dark Lord said to keep his family safe. I then started thinking about my future family and what I would want for them. If it's with you, I knew for a fact I would want your safety first. That's not always possible with the Death Eaters as your comrades. I don't want that path if there's something better out there…"

"When did you suddenly switch to Potter's side?"

"I haven't gone to his side," Blaise argued. "I just figure, that if there is safety out there then I want it. I don't want to live my life in fear of loosing everything. Besides, you're against the Dark side aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. But my parents and siblings are too. Not like I had that much of a choice unless I wanted to cause a rift in my family," Zatora said with a smile. "Not only that, but the Dark Arts is really fowl. I feel like being on the good side doesn't mean I have to fully support Potter. I mean, I can hate the horrible stuff You-Know-Who does and still be counted on the good side and still dislike Potter."

"Hmm, looks like we have the same feelings on the matter. I think we'd fall under the category of neutral." Blaise said with a glance down at her.

Zatora pointed out, "You said your plans are made for you. What are you going to do then?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm not going to let my Father choose my future. I'll probably leave as soon as possible after school is over for us." Blaise said, his fingers running through her hair again. "I'm supposed to join right after school is done next year. You know, I've always wanted to live in Paris, I might go there."

"If we're still together do you plan on taking me with you?" Zatora asked, sounding a little worried. "It almost sounds like you don't think our relationship with last that long."

Blaise looked down at her worried expression and gave her a huge grin. "I think our relationship could go far. Honestly, this could be forever. So yes, if we're still together, then I'll take you with me to Paris."

Zatora smiled and closed her eyes again, "What would you do for a living in Paris?"

"I'd want to manage Foreign Magical Relationships, or go into Quidditch. I haven't decided yet. I wouldn't mind teaching though, being a teacher would be great. I'd probably teach Transfiguration."

"Makes sense, you're amazing at Transfiguration."

"Yeah, I suppose," Blaise shrugged, "I like language though and I enjoy keeping the peace. If I had a choice I'd go with the management over anything else."

"I'm sure you'd be amazing in what ever you choose," Zatora sighed, stretching her arms and legs.

Blaise said sarcastically, "Well, I'm glad you think positively about the future."

"Hmm, it would be completely useless to think in a condescending way." Zatora muttered with a yawn.

"Are you tired?" Blaise laughed.

"No, I'm just extremely comfortable and I could easily fall asleep if you keep this up."

Blaise grinned mischievously, "You mean running my fingers through your hair and talking softly?"

Zatora sat up from her position. "Yeah, stop it!" She teased moving to sit next to him. "What time is it anyway? It feels like we've been sitting here forever."

Just at that moment the back door opened and Hagrid's head poked out. "Charlie says only tow more hours before they hatch. Would you mind feeding the Puffballs before coming to watch?"

"We'll take care of it, it shouldn't take too long." Zatora said as Blaise helped her to her feet.

Zatora led Blaise over to the crate on the far side of the backyard. Blaise nervously asked, "Exactly what _are_ Puffballs?"

She looked up at Blaise from the ground, her hands pausing on the lid of the box. "They're not dangerous if that's what you're asking. Don't worry so much – it most certainly can't kill you to loosen up."

Blaise said defensively. "You can't blame me for me a bit concerned about this though. I mean, from my memories of this class it wasn't always safe. I'm loose though, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Zatora smiled, "Good, then you won't mind bottle feeding a few of them."

Quickly she removed the lid and lifted a Puffball out of the box, pushing it firmly into Blaise's hands. The Puffball looked up at him, its round eyes large and filled with curiosity and hunger. Still surprised by the fuzzy creature in his hands Blaise jumped when a warm bottle was added into to the load. Excited, the Puffball sniffed the hand with the bottle before starting to suck happily at the milk inside. Blaise's eyes widened as he found himself feeding an unfamiliar creature he hadn't asked for.

Zatora giggled, "She's not going to bite your head off, you know? Goodness, Blaise, will you please relax? It's not like I handed you a Skrewt!"

Blaise shuddered, "Did you have to remind me about them?"

"Well, if I wanted you to respond then yes." Zatora rolled her eyes. "They really aren't dangerous."

"So what do they do then?"

"Clean up messes… I mean, not like a house elf, rather like if you spill something on the floor. They're more like house pets really. A mix between and Niffler and who knows what." Zatora explained while feeding her own Puffball.

Blaise's Puffball sucked unhappily on empty air. Reaching out with a long tongue, it licked his hand attempting to get his attention to the lack of food. Looking down on the creature he gently patted its head. Excited by the gesture the Puffball began to lick his face while moving up onto his chest. Blaise laughed before taking the creature and putting it back in the box to grab another one.

"You know, in a way this is good training for you," Zatora said with a soft smile.

"How do you figure that?" Blaise asked.

"Well, you said you wanted a family. You're getting wonderful practice with babies, right here." Zatora went back to her feeding, unaware that Blaise was watching her out of the corner of his eyes. Once finished feeding the Puffballs, they washed up before heading inside. The dragon eggs were in a large crate by the fire. Very distinct scratching sounds were coming from the eggs. Supposedly there were a variety of different dragon species in the box, so the fact that they would hatch together was an amazing occurrence.

Charlie and his companions looked up as Zatora and Blaise walked in. Charlie smiled, "You'd better hurry over here. Some of them are almost ready to enter the world."

"What – No!" Zatora said running to her bag to grab her notebook and quill. She gasped as she nearly forgot her ink, hearing the scratching sounds start up again. Zatora rushed back to the crate, sitting next to Charlie and Blaise. Hurriedly she found her page on Dragon Hatching, and began sketching the cluster of eggs again. She'd drawn them in various stages; no cracks, light markings, more defined cracks, and this time with deep cracks running through them. "Okay, experts," Zatora said, now focusing on only one of the eggs for her next drawing. "Does every dragon hatch the same or is it all different?"

Charlie smiled, "All dragon species hatch differently. For example, that egg, the on that looks like it's going to hatch any second, will literally burst into pieces. Then you have the light blue egg over there, which will simply create an opening and crawl out. Of course, then you also have to rule in that every dragon does things their own way, so each hatching is different."

"You can't tell what a dragon is going to be by they way they hatch?" Blaise asked suddenly interested.

"Well, each species has a distinct way of hatching but the time, what they do after, and precisely how they handle hatching, depends on the dragon." Charlie explained, "Mostly you can just tell what dragon it'll be by the egg. Each dragon species has a distinct egg color."

One of the eggs cracked completely open to reveal a rather confused, little dragon. It looked up at all the faces starring down at it before stretching its wings. As if it was second nature, the baby dragon took several steps forward. One of Charlie's friends tossed in some food, which the dragon attacked. Quickly the crate was full of young dragons stretching their limbs and eating for the first time. Zatora's page of hatchlings was soon filled with baby dragons poking out of eggs or their wings stretched above their heads. She had even added a few devouring food.

Charlie looked at her handy work, "Wow, those sketches are amazing; especially since they were done with ink. Are you as good at handling them as you are drawing them?"

Zatora set down her notebook and looked in the box. A small, light blue dragon sat on its own away from the others. Pointing at it she asked, "That one's not poisonous, is it?"

"No, it isn't poisonous," Charlie replied.

With a sly glance at Charlie she leaned over the edge of the crate, extending her out stretched hand slowly towards the baby dragon. The baby lifted its head curiously sniffing at Zatora's hand. Satisfied, the dragon reared to place two front paws onto her hand. Ever so gentle, Zatora scooped the dragon out of the box and brought it to her chest. Stroking the scaly body she asked, "How do you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Charlie laughed, "You act like you've done nothing spectacular. It took me years to dare to hold a freshly hatched dragon, and that was after I'd already been dealing with the fully grown ones."

Hagrid beamed down at them, "I told yeh she was amazin', Charlie. In fact, she may even put yer skills to shame."

"I don't know Hagrid," Charlie said with a knowing smile. "She hasn't met the big dragons in the forest yet."

Zatora froze, eyes widening at his lat comment. "You – there are dragons in the forest?" She breathed. "You're telling me that you brought fully grown dragons to the grounds?"

Charlie nodded, "With Dumbledore's permission, of course."

"Can you show them to me? I would love to study them, add some more notes and drawings to my collection! Could we bring some of the baby dragons with us? Are they safe to be around? Why did you put them in the forest? Wouldn't the forest go up in flames if they breathe fire?" Zatora asked, tons of questions running through her mind.

Charlie laughed, "One question at a time. Come with me and I'll show you the full grown dragons."

Zatora grinned before setting the baby dragon down in the crate. It made a sad noise, obviously having enjoyed the attention it had received. Smiling she turned to Blaise, "Do you want to come or is that too much for one day?"

Blaise stood up and helped her off the floor. "I think I'll just stay here. Baby dragons are one thing but fully grown are entirely too much for my liking."

"Fine, stay here," Zatora said, giving him a quick kiss. "I'll be back soon." With a happy smile she turned, following Hagrid and Charlie out of the house.

They walked close to the edge of the woods, walking further away from the castle. Once the house was out of sight, Charlie turned into the forest. The sky above them was starting to turn a shade of red when a roar met their ears. Zatora gasped, ready to stop in case the other two did. Hagrid and Charlie continued walking, however, so Zatora followed cautiously behind them. They rounded a corner and her breath caught in her throat.

Two, very large, dragons stood in front of her, their legs and tails chained to the ground. One was a lovely shade of blue while the other an acid green. The green dragon growled a clear warning to stay back. Looking down, the blue merely watched them curious about their presence. Zatora stared, amazed by their overwhelming power and beauty.

"What do yeh think of 'em, Zatora?" Hagrid asked.

Charlie smiled, "Are you scared yet?"

She pulled out her notebook with a radiant smile on her face. "They're amazing," Zatora answered while beginning a sketch of the two dragons in the woods.

* * *

The door to the Slytherin Common Room opened, allowing Blaise and Zatora to walk in. They were laughing, talking about the baby dragons. Zatora had told Blaise all about the fully frown dragons. She had even drawn a full page illustration of the two in the forest that she had let Blaise look at. They stopped laughing, realizing just how late it was by the darkness of the room.

Zatora sighed happily, "I still can't believe how the baby dragons just got up and walked. The whole experience was just amazing. My notebook now has a few pages on dragons. Hopefully I can add more before they leave."

Blaise stared at her with a happy smile. They came to a halt where they would separate to go to bed. "It really makes you happy, doesn't it? Being around creatures I mean." Blaise said with a smile.

Zatora nodded, "Yeah, it really does."

"Hmm, I like it when you're happy. Your smile is irreplaceable when you're really happy about something," Blaise said with a quick kiss. They stood close together, their foreheads slightly touching, breathing in each others scents.

"I love you," Zatora whispered accompanied by a smile.

"I love you too." Blaise replied, "I'm sorry to say, though, that the night has come to an end."

Zatora playfully hit Blaise. "Thanks for ending the moment, but you're right. We both need to get some sleep and it's already really late."

"Would I still manage to steal a kiss before telling you good night?"

"I don't know you did kill the moment…"

Blaise kissed her anyway before saying, "Good night, Zatora."

He turned to go and Zatora said, "Good night, Blaise. Why can't I stay mad at you, even when you do something to annoy me?"

Blaise turned back to her, walking backwards, "Because you love me with all your heart."

Zatora rolled her eyes before leaving for her own dormitory. Quietly she walked to the door, aware that probably everyone would be asleep. She slipped off her shoes, hoping to walk in a little quieter with out them on. What she saw when she opened the door wasn't what she expected.

The first thing she saw was Pansy sobbing uncontrollably into Nina's arm. Nina was stroking her hair, attempting desperately to comfort her to no prevail. Tracey and Millicent were talking to each other, fury flashing in their eyes. Daphne was sitting on her bed, eyes down cast with a sad look on her face. Zatora walked over to her bed slowly, confused by all the commotion. She set down her stuff and sat down next to Daphne on her bed, which was just to the left of her own.

Surprised by the sudden movement beside her, Daphne jumped. Upon seeing Zatora she forced a smile, "Hello, Zatora, how as your date with Blaise?"

"It was great," Zatora said, glancing over at Pansy in the process. "Why is everyone so upset?"

"Draco's in the Hospital Wing. He was attacked this evening," Daphne explained.

"What! What happened to him?" Zatora asked shocked by the news.

Tracey dumped her body backwards onto the bed from the other side. "Draco went to the bathroom and there was a fight between him and another student. He was hit by a really dark spell and he's lucky to be alive."

"There was so much blood, on the floors and walls," Pansy cried, wiping angrily at the tears running down her cheeks. "They wouldn't let me see him, but I did manage to see the bath-bathroom."

"Oh Pansy, I'm so sorry!" Zatora said, moving to give her a hug. "So, who found him to get him to the Hospital Wing?"

"Professor Snape," Nina replied, "which was really lucky, again for Draco, because he recognized the spell. Who ever did the spell got detention. Professor Snape did what he could and then got Draco to Madam Pomfrey."

"When did Professor Snape get back?" Zatora asked shocked. "Is he staying for long?"

"Just this afternoon, but he's already gone again. He just happened to be there at the right time. We didn't even get to see him after everything was said and done. Pansy only got that information because she saw Dumbledore on his way out of the Hospital Wing. She said he told her that Snape just wanted to report something to him before going off again." Millicent pushed her hair out of her face, "All of the Slytherins are mad about Draco being attacked. Now we wait and see if he'll pull through."

Pansy shuddered and whispered, "I don't want him to die!"

Zatora tightened her hold on Pansy and said softly, "Draco's strong; he'll be okay." She frowned at her own thought of _I hope_.

**Was it good, bad, terrible? Any thoughts on what Snape possibly could be up to? I'm going to give a hint: it's something extremely important. The importance of what he's doing I'm going to leave for all you to wonder about. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for the reviews on the last chapter, and be on the look out for Chapter 19. I'm going to try to have that typed and up by the week end. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Reviews are appreciated.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	19. Complicated Love

Chapter 19 –Complicated Love

**Yay! I'm updating quicker these days. Anyway, thank you all again for the reviews on the last chapter. Here is chapter 19 for you all to enjoy. I hope you like this chapter, I certainly enjoyed writing it. The next few chapters are turning points and they're going to be huge for her last year. I promise Harry is going to be making an appearance shortly! I think he's going to come in properly around chapter 23, if I've calculated correctly on how much room I need to get there. At any rate, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think.**

It had been a week since Draco had been attacked. Pansy had finally been allowed to see him but he was still sleeping. He'd been out the whole week. Madam Pomfrey was beside herself, trying to keep his body well nourished. This also meant Pansy spent most of her time up in the Hospital Wing. The sixth year Slytherins tried to make a visit at least once a day for comfort and support.

Zatora and Blaise decided to pay Pansy a visit one bright and sunny Saturday afternoon, rather then go outside and lounge about. They had brought lunch with them, so they could eat there and make sure Pansy ate something. One of Blaise's hands was linked with Zatora's as they walked quietly into the Hospital Wing. Pansy was sitting at the end of Draco's bed. Her hair was messy and she looked about ready to cry. Zatora and Blaise exchanged a worried glance before reaching her side.

"Hey, Pansy," Zatora said, taking the empty seat next to her. "How are things going?"

Pansy looked up at her for a second before turning her attention back to Draco. "He hasn't woken up yet… According to Madame Pomfrey, if he doesn't wake up soon he'll have to go to St. Mungo's."

Blaise looked concerned, "How are you holding up, Pansy?"

"I – I'm not sure," Pansy said, shutting her eyes tightly. A few tears fell down her cheeks and her voice shook from trying not to cry. "I would be a horrible girl friend if I left him now. At the same time there's that huge Transfiguration essay due on Monday and – well, I haven't even started it yet. I'm for sure going to be held back to redo my sixth year. Throw in the fact that I may loose my boyfriend… I don't want him to die – I love him so much." Pansy leaned foreward to bury her face in the blankets of the bed. She cried softly into the covers while Zatora rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Okay, as Draco's friend I feel it's my duty to tell you to take a break from watching over him," Blaise said watching Pansy. "If Draco saw you like this he would tell you to go do something. You need some time to fouce on you. Go work on homework, spend time with your friends, but do it some place other then here."

"Blaise is right," Zatora said, squeezing her shoulder, "you need to get away from here."

"What if he wakes up, though?" Pansy asked sitting up in her seat. "He'll be here all alone. What if he thinks I abandoned him?"

"You won't have abandoned him," Zatora said reasonably. "You'll be getting the time you so desperately need for you." When Pansy still looked skeptical Zatora added, "Would you like Blaise or me to stay while go to something for yourself?"

Pansy smiled, "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would! I'm sure both of us would stay if you asked us too." Zatora stated calmly.

"Will at least one of you two stay? I'll only be a couple of hours. Only if you can though; if you two have plans –"

Zatora turned to look at Blaise, "I know you have homework. Why don't you go with Pansy and get some work done, while I stay here. If he wakes up I'll let you both know."

Blaise leaned down to kiss her, "That's a good idea. Besides, I'm the best at Transfiguration so if she gets stuck I can help her."

"Thank you Zatora!" Pansy said, giving her a grateful hug.

Pansy grabbed her bag while Blaise kissed her one last time. The two left the Hospital Wing, leaving Zatora alone with a sleeping Draco Malfoy. For a wile Zatora merely sat there, enjoying the peace and quiet of the Hospital Wing. That's when she started noticing just how white and spotlessly clean it really was. Feeling suddenly out of place, she pulled out a piece of parchment, a quil, some ink, and a book to put the paper on and began to draw.

She studied Draco and began to sketch his sleeping form. Taking her time she added the window and wall behind him. Highlights were added carefully into the drawing. A girl appeared at the end of the bed. Her face was slightly turned towards the viewer, the tear stains visible on her cheek. The other half of her face was lying on the bed. Obviously distressed, her heart was clearly wrenching in two for her almost lifeless lover. Zatora wrote in beautiful script on the bottom _I Love Him_.

Holding her handy work away from her she studied the picture. Never had she tried to draw people before. Her sketched were always of animals. Normally she read in her free time, but this had been inspiring. The drawing wasn't half bad, for a first attempt at people. Zatora had taught herself to draw and it had taken ages for her to capture a realistic picture of a creature. She shook her head at her drawing and muttered "nerd" under her breath.

Glancing up at a clock, Zatora was surprised to find she'd been there for nearly three hours. "They've got to come back soon." Zatora said to Draco. She knew he probably couldn't hear her, yet she couldn't stop herself from talking. "You know what, Draco? You really need to wake up soon so Pansy can stop worrying about you. She's so stressed and hysterical without you. I'm so stupid; I'm talking to someone who probably can't even hear a word I'm saying…"

To her complete surprise Draco stirred. Zatora watched him, her eyes wide with shock. His eyes blinked open and a groan escaped his lips. Looking around his eyes locked on Zatora's. For a minute they stared at each other, trying to find words to say. "Did you know you're a jerk?" Zatora asked at last.

Draco laughed, "Nice to see you too, Zatora. Not exactly who I expected to see but it works."

Zatora rolled her eyes, "I'm serious about you being a really big jerk. Pansy has been sitting her for the last week and instead of waking up for her, you wake up for me."

"I've been out for a whole week? That's a personal record for me," Draco said with a smile.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Zatora asked disgusted. "Pansy is way too good for you!"

"You're right," Draco told her simply.

"I – I am?"

"Yeah, Pansy is way too good for me." Draco said in response, "I've been thinking the same thing for a while now."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Zatora asked hesitantly.

Draco smiled at her, "What are you more worried about – me possibly breaking up with Pansy or the possibility that I may go after you again if I do?"

"I'm worried that you're going to break Pansy's heart. She loves you, Draco. You're the only one for her and as her friend I want her to be happy." Zatora said, her voice shaking uncontrollably. She sighed, "So who attacked you anyway? There have been rumors but I honestly don't think Potter would have it in him to do anything like this…"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Well, guess the rumors are true then."

Zatora shook her head, "I don't believe it… Why would he do something like that?"

Draco shrugged, "How am I supposed to know what goes through his head?"

"Look, I'd better go and tell Pansy that you're awake. She'll be elated that you're awake." Zatora told Draco, relieved that she had gotten out of taking to Draco about love.

Draco gave her an odd look, "Can I ask you something, Zatora?"

"Sure, go ahead and shoot whatever you want." She said, distracted by putting her book back in her bag.

"Why are you afraid of falling in love with me?"

Zatora looked up angrily, "Ugh, you're absolutely delusional! I'm not falling in love with you. I love Blaise with all my heart."

"Give me a chance, Zatora." Draco pleaded with her.

Zatora shook her head and stood up. Her drawing slipped from her hands but she didn't notice as she grabbed her bag off the floor. She shoved her quill and ink back into her bag before she noticed her picture was missing. She gasped softly as she looked up to find Draco looking at it. "I need to go tell Pansy you're awake. Give me back my drawing." Zatora said harshness in her every word.

"You drew a picture of me…"

"I drew a picture of you and _Pansy_."

"It's really good you know."

"Will you just give it to me so I can go?" Zatora said extending her hand for it.

Draco took a hold of her hand and pulled her to him. Before Zatora had a chance to fight back he kissed her. Her mind screamed at her as he kissed her passionately. When he pulled away Zatora glared at him for several long seconds taking in his smug smile, his cold eyes, and the way his hair fell into his face. Without warning she smacked him hard, snatching her picture out of his hands. "Don't ever kiss me again without my permission," Zatora said, anger in every word she spoke.

Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of her office as Zatora backed away from him. "Oh good, you're awake." She said starting to fuss over him. Zatora shook her head before storming out of the Hospital Wing.

* * *

Zatora sat alone at the Slytherin table eating dinner. She hadn't gone to tell Pansy that Draco was awake. In fact, she had gone back to the dormitory where she had had a heated conversation with Freddy. At first she had been against telling Blaise about Draco kissing her, but Freddy had pointed out that if Blaise truly knew she loved him, than he would understand the situation. Not only that, he would also see to it that Draco never did anything like that again.

"Hey beautiful," Blaise said sitting down next to Zatora. He stole a kiss before starting up a conversation, "Why weren't you in the Hospital Wing when Pansy and I got back? I was looking foreward to seeing you and you weren't there."

"I went to the dormitory," Zatora said coolly.

"Draco woke up while you were there though, or tat least that's what he said." Blaise said while playing with her hair, "Why didn't you come get Pansy?"

"Oh, didn't Draco tell you what happened?" Zatora asked placing her knife and fork down with unneeded force.

"No, but something obviously did happen between you two," Blaise said in a worried tone, "judging by how you're acting."

"Draco kissed me." Zatora said disgusted.

"What? Draco kissed you!"

"Yeah, he kissed me. I hit him afterwards. He just doesn't get that I'm in love with you. I don't even know why he kissed me, he just did it. You have no idea how sorry I am." Zatora said wiping at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, you shouldn't be feeling guilty about anything." Blaise said, turning Zatora's face to look at his. Hastily he wiped at her tears with his thumbs, "No, Zatora, you've done nothing wrong. You don't have to cry."

"It's just that," Zatora said tearfully, "I just feel so guilty about it."

"I think I should go have a little talk with Draco. You go ahead and finish eating and I'll see you back in the Common Room." Blaise said, kissing her with the lightest of kisses before leaving the Great Hall.

* * *

Zatora was in the Common Room studying Charms when the door burst open to reveal Blaise and a small group of girls. Millicent was at the head, followed closely by Daphne and Tracey. Millicent shouted, "Blaise, I'm not done talking to you!" Everyone in the Common Room went deathly silent as Blaise stopped walking towards Zatora.

Blaise turned, "What do you want now, Millicent?"

"You had no _right_ to come into the Hospital Wing and yell at Draco like that! He's recovering from being attacked and loosing his girlfriend, then you march in and nearly attack him again." Millicent shouted at Blaise.

"Don't tell me what rights I do or do not have. He kissed my girlfriend. Honestly, I should've beaten him to a pulp and he could've spent another couple of weeks in the Hospital Wing!" Blaise said fiercely.

"All you care about is yourself!" Millicent shot back at him.

"No, what I care about is when my girlfriend comes to me in tears because some stuck up brat decides to kiss her! I don't think you've ever seen her cry, Millicent. If you were her true friend you wouldn't be defending the offender. Why don't you figure out his rights before you talk to me about mine? This conversation is over." Blaise said turning and walking over to Zatora.

Shocked by the argument, Zatora watched the girls, storm away to the girl's dormitories. Blaise sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled into his body and smiled when she heard his content sigh. He breathed in the smell from her hair, his lips pressed against her head. Zatora could sense the stress ebbing away from his body as he relaxed his hold on her.

"What happened exactly/" Zatora sked, feeling guilty as he tensed again.

"I yelled at him and told him he had no right to kiss you." Blaise said in her ear. "I told him that if he ever kisses you again I'd personally give him a reason to be in the Hospital Wing."

"What if we break up?" Zatora asked concerned.

"I'll always be willing to defend you, even if we break up." Blaise said calmly. "You're my best friend. Even if our love falls apart our friendship won't."

"Hm, I agree to that. I won't ever let our friendship fall apart," Zatora said with some edge in her voice.

Blaise laughed, "Now I have nothing to fear because I know just how stubborn you are."

"Yup, I'm you're stubborn girlfriend," Zatora grinned at him, "who happens to be very impressed with her knight in shining armor."

"Knight in shining armor, huh, I like the sound of my new title." Blaise said kissing her forehead.

Zatora smiled, "You're my knight and I'm your princess whom you just saved from the horrible dragon."

"He was a stupid dragon for thinking I wouldn't fight for you." Blaise stated as a matter of fact.

"Indeed. Which is why, my knight was able to slay him with a single glance in his direction."

"When the dragon was dead the knight rushed to his princess and swept her off her feet!" Blaise said standing up and scooping Zatora into his arms. He spun around and Zatora laughed into his neck. "The knight then placed his lovely prize onto his noble steed before riding off into the sunset."

"What a satisfying ending to a great story," Zatora said kissing Blaise.

"Written by two insane lovers, I should add," Blaise stated kissing her back.

"Insane is the wrong word. Intense lovers I think suites them better."

Blaise put Zatora down gently, "Well, I think it's been a long day for the both of us, my lady."

Zatora grinned, "Indeed, good sir."

"This is where I bid you good night."

"Good night Blaise."

"Good night Zatora," Blaise said with a swift kiss. He smiled at her before leaving to go to his own dormitory.

Zatora couldn't help but smile to herself as she left to go to bed. She walked through the door of her dormitory to find Tracey and Millicent glaring at her. Taken aback she blinked before she walked determinedly past them to her bed. Pansy wasn't there, and Zatora supposed she was still working on homework in the library. She sat down on her bed, grabbing her hair brush and running it through her black locks.

Daphne sat down next to her, "Just ignore those two, they're still mad at Blaise. I tried to get them to see reason but they won't hear it."

"It's okay, I don't need them to like whom I love for them to be my friends." Zatora said to Daphne.

"Love is a powerful word, Zatora," Daphne said with a worried look.

"I know it is, but it's true. I love Blaise, simple as that."

"That's what Pansy said too before she broke up with Draco today." Daphne said seriously as the door opened and Nina and Pansy walked in. Daphne sighed, "Look, Zatora, I just want you to be sure of yourself before it's too late. He really loves you, but I'm not certain he's telling you everything. You don't have to take my advice, but just think about it. I'm just worried about you. You're my friend and I want the best for you. I really don't want to see you get hurt by going in too deep when you're still only swimming around in the shallows."

Zatora smiled at her, "Its okay, Daphne. I'm happy and right now Blaise is the best for me. I'm not about to get myself hurt in anyway while I'm with him."

Daphne nodded as Pansy jumped on the bed. "You won't believe what I did today!" Pansy said to Zatora, "I broke up with Draco."

"When did you do that?" Zatora asked, pretending this was news to her.

"When I got back to the Hospital Wing," Pansy said brightness in her eyes that had never been there before.

"Why did you do that? I mean, when I was in the Hospital Wing earlier, you were going on about how you loved him and didn't want him to die!" Zatora said completely confused.

"I still love him. I'll never stop loving him."

"Then why break up with him if you still love him?"

"Do you know how liberating it is not to have a boyfriend?" Pansy asked excitedly. "I mean, I had a lot of time to think when I was able to be away from Draco. It made me realize that I haven't had the time to think about me since fourth year. So I decided I needed a break, which is what I told Draco. I told him that I needed a break and that maybe we would get back together, if it was right, or maybe we wouldn't. Let me tell you, it felt great to finally say, out loud, that I want to stretch myself a bit. I've never felt better, Zatora!"

"I thought he was the only one for you. You've told me that numerous times." Zatora said still confused.

Pansy rolled her eyes, "How am I suppose to know that unless I get out more?"

"But I thought you'd be heart broken if you ever broke up with him."

"Well, I'm not. It's really thanks to you that I broke up with him. If you hadn't suggested have some time for me, I would've never realized I needed to find myself and listen to what I need, for a change." Pansy said grinning.

Zatora was completely lost in confusion for the rest of the night. She lay curled up in her bed, awake long after everyone else had gone to sleep. Staring at a ray of moonlight coming from a window she tried to organize her restless thoughts. Millicent and Tracey glaring at her, Daphne worried she was going to get hurt, Blaise angry at Draco for kissing her, Pansy gleeful and happy to be free of Draco… She rolled onto her side and sighed into her pillow. "I'll never understand love," Zatora muttered before falling asleep.


	20. The News

Chapter 20 –The News

**Thank you all for the lovely comments on the last chapter. That chapter was fun to write. I'm extremely excited with this chapter. This chapter was so much fun to sit down and do, but at the same time it's also a bit of a sad turning point in the story. I'll just let you read to find out what exactly I mean.**

A month had gone by since Draco had kissed her. One horrible month since Pansy had broken up with Draco. Zatora had a huge fight with Blaise during that month, which they had eventually worked through after a week of arguing with each other. Blaise had fought with Pansy about Draco kissing her and she had sided with Pansy. Pansy had told Blaise he didn't need to act so angry when Draco had returned to classes. Blaise had angrily retorted about the kiss, which she had shrugged off as nothing. Zatora agreed with Pansy, having thought they were over this. To her surprise, Blaise had blown up and she was in her first fight with her boyfriend. When Blaise finally calmed down about the matter and Zatora found the strength to put aside her hurt feelings, it had been a week since the argument started. All in all, the whole month had been an emotional crash and burn scene for the Slytherins.

Zatora was happy the month was coming to a close. Between fighting with Blaise and drama between her, Tracey, and Millicent she was ready to be done. It had taken the entire month to get back on speaking terms with Tracey and Millicent after their fight with Blaise. She was so sick of the previous month's drama. So when the first day of May rolled around Zatora woke up with a positive out look on the day ahead.

Zatora sat down next to Blaise for breakfast. She kissed him and said, "Good morning, sunshine."

"Mmm, you're in a good mood this morning." Blaise said with a smile.

Zatora filled a bowl with porridge, "It's the first of the month. I've decided this month is going to go better. Why not start fresh then sit and sulk about the past?"

Blaise watched her sprinkle sugar onto her oatmeal. "I love you, did you know that?"

"I did know that. It's a good thing too, because I fully return your love with mine."

"I've think your plan of making this month better sounds good," Blaise said watching her take a huge bite of food. "You're so cute when you're in a good mood."

Zatora swallowed her bite, smiling at him sweetly, "Really; do you like it?"

"Like it? Darling, it's incredibly adorable." Blaise said kissing her on the cheek. "I absolutely love it when you're cute."

Zatora ate another bite of food, "What classes do we have today?"

"Potions, a double hour, and then you've got Charms with Pansy and Padma while I've got Arithmancy. Then we have a free afternoon together." Blaise said confidently.

"Ooo, do you have something romantic planned for the both of us?" Zatora asked nudging Blaise.

Blaise threw her a mischievous smile, "I actually do have something planned."

"Do you plan on telling me what's on the agenda?" Zatora asked in a flattering tone.

"Nope," Blaise shook his head, "It's going to remain a secret so you can be pleasantly surprised this afternoon." Zatora looked put out and Blaise laughed, "You can pout all you want Zatora, I'm still not going to tell you what I've got planned. Come on. Let's go to Potions before we're late."

"Have you been getting the feeling that Professor Slughorn is avoiding me" Zatora asked as they walked down to Potions.

"No; why do you say that?"

"It's just that I keep getting the feeling he's avoiding me. Ever since the party, our first date, he seems to be deliberately not talking to me." Zatora said as the two joined the group of students entering the classroom.

"He's never really _talked_ to you Zatora," Blaise pointed out as they took their usual seats.

"But he used to answer my questions during class. Now he just ignores me…"

"Who ignores you?" Pansy asked sitting down next to her.

"Professor Slughorn is ignoring me," Zatora replied.

"Oh, I'm not the only one who's noticed that!"

Blaise groaned, "Not you too."

"Yes, I have noticed especially in class." Pansy said, a cool edge to her voice, "It's like he takes every route not to go near you, Zatora. Oh come on, Blaise! You can't honestly tell me you never noticed that Professor Slughorn _never_ comes over to the table Zatora is working at."

"Okay, I have noticed that, but it doesn't mean he's avoiding her." Blaise pointed out.

Pansy gave him a skeptical look, "Really, then why does he make it to every other table except ours?"

"Okay, I haven't noticed that."

"Well then," Pansy said with a little smile, "let's put this to the ultimate test."

Zatora looked at Pansy slightly worried. "What's the ultimate test, exactly?"

"You both are going to deliberately mess up your potions so you'll have to ask for his help. Blaise will wait until he's checked on every table, except ours. He'll then put in a wrong ingredient and raise his hand for help. If Slughorn isn't avoiding Zatora, he should have no problem walking around the table, passing Zatora in the process, to get to you." Pansy explained indicating over to Blaise. "He can either go the route that he has to squeeze past other students seats to get to Blaise, or he can take the easy route that goes around Zatora's chair."

"So you're saying if he's avoiding her he'll not go around her at all?" Blaise asked glancing at Zatora.

"That's precisely what I'm saying." Pansy said grinning. "We'll wait until almost the end of class for Zatora to mess up her potion. That way, if he is avoiding her, he can make the excuse of that it's time to clean up."

Blaise contemplated this before nodding, "Sounds good to me. I still don't think he's avoiding her, but I do think that your plan could prove that he is or is not."

"Do I really have to mess up my potion? I mean, if he ends up not helping me then I get a bad grade." Zatora said quietly as Professor Slughorn walked in.

"No, you can just raise your hand and pretend you messed up or have a question about something." Pansy said in an undertone.

"Settle down class, settle down." Professor Slughorn said at the front of the class. "Now, today we'll be brewing a potion that will take a precise time schedule. In other words, if you don't keep up it won't be finished by the end of class. So turn to page two hundred in your books, get your supplies, and get to work."

Blaise walked around the table to Zatora and said, more to Pansy, "We'll go get the supplies from the cupboard."

"Okay, I'll just set up the cauldrons." Pansy said as Zatora took his hand and walked towards the cupboards with Blaise.

They waited at the back of the line for the rest of the class to get their supplies. Once there was room, Zatora stepped forward, grabbing the ingredients as Blaise read them off to her from the book. She grabbed enough of everything for Pansy, Blaise, and herself. Zatora was just getting the last ingredient when an all too familiar voice behind her said, "Can I talk to you two for a second?"

Zatora turned to find Draco Malfoy with Blaise. Nervously she watched Blaise, worried he might get angry again. For a few seconds he took several calming breathes. Blaise forced a smile, "Okay, what is it Draco?"

"I just wanted to apologize to you two." Draco said his voice quiet and low.

Zatora looked at Blaise before saying, "You're apologizing to us? Is this a trick?"

"No, I really want to apologize for kissing you." Draco said hurriedly. "I've been thinking about it a lot and I shouldn't have kissed you, Zatora. It was wrong and I've been feeling terrible about it. Which is why I'm asking for forgiveness, because you two are my friends and I don't want to loose you two over a stupid mistake."

Zatora and Blaise exchanged a long look with each other. Blaise too her free hand and she gave it a small squeeze, excepting what ever he decided to do. He smiled swiftly down at her before he said, "We accept your apology."

Draco smiled at them as Slughorn said, "You three by the supplies. Get a move on your potions before there's not time left to actually finish. I will dock points from Slytherin."

Blaise and Zatora returned a smile before heading back to Pansy. Zatora kissed Blaise on the cheek and whispered, "I'm really proud of you. That was really a noble thing for you to do."

"What part was noble?"

"Putting your feelings of anger and resentment aside to forgive Draco," Zatora said in a whisper. "That was noble."

Blaise grinned, "We're starting this month off with a positive light, remember? I'm leaving the past behind us."

"I love you, did you know that?" Zatora shot Blaise's line back at him as they got to the table.

"I did know that," Blaise said giving her a quick kiss before returning to his seat.

"Ugh, okay love birds. It took you two long enough!" Pansy complained in a teasing voice before starting up on her potion.

They worked in silence, all three of them trying to focus on their work and Professor Slughorn's usual trip around the classroom. When Slughorn successfully avoided their table Pansy gave Blaise a pointed look. Blaise looked stunned but gave Pansy a pointed look back of his own.

"You should be about three-fourths done with your potions," Professor Slughorn said looking up at the clock.

Blaise slipped an extra ingredient into his cauldron, causing the potion to turn a sickly orange color. All three of them began coughing as it began emitting a smell of rotten fish and eggs. Pansy and Zatora coughed again, holding their breath desperately. Giving them an apologetic look, Blaise thrust his arm into the air. Professor Slughorn walked over to him, taking the route that didn't go anywhere near Zatora.

"My boy, what seems to be the – what a smell!"

"I'm sorry Professor," Blaise said acting horrified by his mistake. "I don't know what I did. You distracted me when you said how far we should be. Can you help me fix this, for everyone's ability to still smell sake?"

"Let me see; don't worry, my dear boy, you're suppose to make mistakes in class." Slughorn stirred the potion counter clockwise for a few minutes. Soon the smell and the color were back to normal. Professor Slughorn smiled, "I believe you added an extra Flesh-Eating Slug. It's a common mistake but an easy one to fix; now, continue on with the potion where you mess up."

"Thank you, sir." Blaise said watching him walk away the same way he came.

Pansy gave him a smug look, "He's not avoiding her, you say?"

Blaise scowled but said in a light tone, "Oh shut up. So he walked the furthest away from her to get to me. That still doesn't mean anything."

"Just wait for the last part of my plan and we'll see who's right." Pansy said.

They absorbed themselves into their work on their potions. The time ticked on as they completed each new step. When there was only fifteen minutes left of class Pansy nudged Zatora's shoulder gently with her own. Nervously she glanced over at Professor Slughorn. Part of her hoped to be able to prove herself right to Blaise while the other wanted him to be right. Sure, she didn't know Professor Slughorn very well, but she hated the thought that a teacher might actually hate her. None of her teachers, even the overly critical Professor Virren, hated her. In fact, they all had rather good things to say about her. She was scared that her theory, that Professor Slughorn was avoiding her, was correct. This fear didn't stop her from wanting to know for sure. Confidently she put her hand in the air, looking straight at Slughorn.

He looked up and caught her gaze from across the room. They stared at each other as her hand remained firmly up in the air above her. She could almost see the fear in Slughorn's eyes as he looked for a way out of talking to her. His eyes glanced to the clock and he cleared his throat pointedly. "Your potions should be done, or close enough to done, class. It's time to start cleaning up. If you would please get a sample of your potions for me to grade," Professor Slughorn instructed to the class, ignoring Zatora's now quivering hand.

Angrily she brought it down and collected a sample of her potion. She corked the vial and wrote her name roughly onto the label. Blaise walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Zatora sighed, relaxing slightly in his hold. "I just don't understand why he's ignoring me…" She muttered, turning to bury her face in his chest.

Pansy gave Blaise a knowing look, "I told you Professor Slughorn was avoiding her."

"Okay, you two win," Blaise said, running a hand through Zatora's hair.

"Do you two want me to take the potions up to him?" Pansy asked, reaching for their samples.

Zatora turned around quickly in Blaise's arms. "No, I want to take them," she said firmly. "He can't ignore me if I go to him. I want to find out why he's ignoring me."

Blaise let her go and she collected the vials and walked over to the line of students at Professor Slughorn's desk. Zatora deliberately waited at the end of the line, hoping that she could get a few minutes to ask why he wasn't talking to her. Her nerves grew as she reached the front of the line, attempting desperately to ignore her pounding heart. Putting on her best smile, she stepped up to the desk and said, "Hello, Professor Slughorn."

He looked up at the sound of her voice and jumped. "Dear girl, you startled me. Ah, those would be the last three vials I was waiting for. Just leave them in the holder for me to grade."

"Actually, sir, I wanted to talk to you," Zatora said setting the vials in three empty spots in the case.

Slughorn froze in grabbing his papers; he looked at her, face pale as the chalk on the chalkboard. He shook his head slowly, "I'm sorry, Miss Varner, but I've got a lot of work to do." The bell rang loudly and the class began heading for the door. "Good day, Miss Varner," Slughorn said, snatching up the potion samples and leaving the classroom.

Blaise walked up to her, a concerned look on his face. Zatora jumped slightly as he rubbed her shoulders. She shook her head as she watched the door. "I can't believe he's avoiding me," Zatora managed to say as she fought back angry tears.

He kissed her cheek, "If it makes you feel any better, I love you."

"I guess it helps a little," Zatora said in a hurt voice.

Pansy joined them, "Okay, I hate to break you two up but we do have a Charms class to get to, Zatora. Not to mention, Blaise has Arithmancy."

"She's right; we should probably get to class." Blaise said to Zatora. He kissed her one last time, "I'll see you after class in the common room." Blaise smiled before leaving the Potions dungeon.

Zatora and Pansy walked together to the second floor. Pansy groaned as they reached the landing that was packed with students. "Okay, I want to know why this particular corridor is always crowded!" Pansy said as they began to fight their way through the hall. "I mean, if it were every once in a while it would be okay. It's every single time we walk through this hall that it's crowded, though. Not everyone in this school has a class on this floor."

"I suppose not," Zatora said as someone bumped into her shoulder going the opposite direction. "Why do you think Professor Slughon's avoiding me?"

"You shouldn't be dwelling on that! So what if one Professor, in this whole school, doesn't like you? It's not that big of a deal." Pansy said rolling her eyes.

"Yes, it is a big deal."

"Enlighten me, Zatora. I honestly don't see what the fuss is about."

"It would be one thing if I'd done something to make him avoid me. The only problem is I haven't done anything to make him hate me."

"You don't know that he hates you."

"The why else is he avoiding – ow!" Zatora said as she ran smack into someone. She looked down to find a first year, whose stuff was scattered all over the floor. He looked hurt as he attempted desperately to gather his belongings from the ground. An ink bottle had shattered from his bag, covering his books and homework with black ink. Zatora stood shocked that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking. "I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you," She said apologetically.

"Hey, get moving! You're holding up a line of students." Someone behind her said, roughly shoving her forward and away from the boy.

"Watch where you're going," another student said going the other way.

"I'm only trying to help that boy!" Zatora said as she was pushed further up the hall by the crowd. "He's going to get trampled."

"Who cares?"

"What ever are you talking about?"

"Just keep moving!"

Zatora struggled to fight her way back to the boy, but it was no use. The crowd was too large and she was soon pushed to the stairs leading to the floor above. Devastated and slightly worried, she climbed the stairs to the third floor. Pansy was there, at the head of the stairs, waiting for her. "There you are! One second you were right behind me and the next you were gone."

"I ran into a first year," Zatora explained looking back down the stairs. "He hit the ground pretty hard. His stuff was all over the floor, the poor kid. I tried to get to him but the crowd pushed me away from him."

They continued off towards Charms as Pansy said, "I'm sure he's fine."

"What if he isn't though? For all I know he's seriously hurt." Zatora said as they walked into Charms. They took their usual seats next to Padma.

"The kid's probably fine," Pansy said as she pulled out her wand and books.

Padma looked at the both of them, "What's going on now?"

"I ran into a first year and he got knocked onto the floor, along with all his stuff." Zatora said voice filled with concern.

"If you ask me, the kid will be perfectly okay," Pansy said pointedly.

Padma looked at Zatora, "What are you worried about, I'm kind of agreeing with Pansy here."

"If he's hurt I could get in trouble. I mean, I wanted to start this month out on a clean page. This isn't what one could call a clean page." Zatora said as they started practicing the homework they had been given last time.

Pansy sighed, "You didn't mean to run into that boy, Zatora. There's no way you can get in trouble for that."

"Pansy's right. If it was an accident then it should be no big deal." Padma said with a smile.

"A little less talk and a bit more magic over there, girls." Professor Flitwick said in his high pitched voice.

"Yes, sir," they all said at the same time.

"Okay, I've decided that Charms in completely useless," Pansy said as the shoes she was trying to Charm flew at her head. She ducked and continued. "I mean, I'm not going to use this stuff at all."

"Um, yes you will use this stuff." Zatora said, "I can even tell you when you'll use it."

"When exactly will it be then? I'd love to know when I'll use this stuff." Pansy laughed half heartedly.

Zatora grinned at Padma, "When you come to your senses and marry Draco."

"Yeah, goodness knows what he would do if he had to live in a muggle house." Padma giggled as Pansy glared at the two of them.

"Oh my goodness; you two will never give me a break will you?" Pansy asked while rolling her eyes.

"You have to get back together with Draco," Padma said with firmness. "I know, for a fact, that he's the one for you. They way you two look at each other, how you act when you're around him, and the way you smile says it all."

Pansy stared at her, "I don't look at him in any special way. Why is it I break up with him and you two, act as if the world has ended?"

Zatora giggled, "Because, in a strange way, the world has ended. No one, in a million years, would have said that you would break up with him. Padma has a good point. You two were practically made for each other. Honestly, I think pigs flew for the first time ever when you suddenly broke up with Draco."

Pansy was about to respond when the door of the classroom opened. The three girls exchanged confused looks, seeing as the whole class was there. Turning in their seats, Zatora audibly gasped as her eyes met those of Professor Snape. He looked slightly concerned as his eyes moved from Zatora to Professor Flitwick.

"Excuse me, Professor, I need Zatora Varner to come with me," Professor Snape said, his voice rather calm. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see her in his office. She'll need to bring her stuff, as she won't be coming back."

The class whispered in a curious tone as Zatora looked from Snape to Flitwick. "You may go, Miss Varner," he said with a smile, "just do the homework to turn in on Monday."

Feeling sick, she put her stuff back in her bag and walked over to Professor Snape. He swept out of the classroom with Zatora in his wake. _I'm getting expelled!_ Zatora thought sadly as she followed Professor Snape's every footstep. _The first year must have told on me. My life is officially over. Mum and Dad are going to be so disappointed. Everything I've been working for has been for nothing. Goodbye school, farewell friends, so long career and hello forever living as an outcast witch. _Zatora fought back tears at the last thought.

Snape stopped in front of a stone gargoyle and said, "Custard Tart." The gargoyle sprung to life and moved aside to reveal a winding staircase. Zatora hardly registered the fact that it was moving upwards on its own accord as they came closer to impending doom. They came to a door with a knocker, and Severus knocked on the door. He then opened the door and stepped out of the way to allow Zatora in first.

Timidly she stepped into the circular office. She was surprised at how homey the room felt. Sleeping portraits of, what Zatora presumed were, old Headmasters and Headmistresses lined the walls. There were books on shelves along the walls, while some instruments sat on a table. Cautiously she stepped further into the room as the door close with a long, dull creak behind her. She could sense Snape watching her as she got a bearing on her surroundings.

"Ah, Miss Varner," Dumbledore said from his desk. Zatora jumped, glanced at Professor Snape, before turning her gaze to the Headmaster. She nodded slowly, recalling what Draco had told her in their second year. _"Dumbeldore? The greatest wizard to ever live? Ha, my Father always tells me that he's the worst thing to ever happen to this school Just wait, he'll loose his position soon enough." Draco had said confidently. Zatora had rolled her eyes and sighed, "I think he's __**brilliant**__."_ It seemed like that had been a long time ago, especially now that she felt intimidated by the very same man she'd thought so highly of.

Dumbledore smiled at her warmly, his eyes twinkling as he did so. "There's no need to look so worried, Zatora. Why don't you take a seat, I only wish to talk to you."

Zatora sat down in an empty chair in front of his desk. Professor Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. "I swear, I didn't mean to run into the first year in the hall, sir. It's just that the hall was so crowded and I tried to get to him, honestly, but I was pushed further away from him. I'm really sorry if he's hurt or if I ruined his belongings –"

"My dear girl, whatever are you talking about?"

"Sir, I ran into a first year in a crowded hall," Zatora explained. "He got knocked to the ground and I couldn't get to him to help. Isn't that why I got called up here? To be punished or expelled for hurting him?"

"Well, I'm glad you mentioned this," Dumbledore said kindly, "but we're not going to punish you for something like that, nor would we expel you. It sounds like it was a complete accident and no real harm was done."

Zatora sighed, relief falling over all her nerves. They soon returned upon realizing she still didn't know why she was here. She looked from Snape to Dumbledore suspiciously, "Why am I here then?"

Snape gave her a serious look, "We brought you here to talk to you about your family. We particularly want to talk about your Father."

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as she thought about her Father. They were both looking at her so seriously. He was dead, why else would they be looking at her in a way of pity? She shook her head, "Is my Mom alright? What about David and Daniel? Oh gosh, please don't tell me he's dead. Why isn't Mathew here? Does he already know? Where's Mathew?"

Dumbledore raised a hand, "Mathew is in class where he should be. Both of your parents are fine, along with your brothers."

"But you said this was about my Father. If he's fine then I don't understand what there is to talk about." Zatora said now completely confused.

"For starters, you're in grave danger." Dumbledore said on a more serious note.

"What kind of danger?"

"Do you know who your real Father is?" When Zatora didn't answer Dumbledore continued, "I didn't think you did. Vanessa Nimwater was a wise witch."

"You know my Mom – my real mom, I mean?" Zatora asked with a trembling voice.

"Yes, I knew her. I was a teacher here when she was at school. Coincidently it was here at Hogwarts that she fell in love with your Father. Seven was a good number for him, for in his seventh year they hooked up. For a long time they were a couple, madly in love, but I never imagined you would be the outcome." Dumbledore said a sad look in his eyes.

Zatora glanced at Professor Snape, "I don't understand. If they were so 'madly in love', as you put it, why are you surprised by me being the outcome?"

Snape replied, "They were falling out of love, or at least Vanessa was, before you were even conceived. She did want you, but your Father went over to the dark side long before you were born. To him you were an accident, almost a mistake."

"You're the reason your Mother finally found the courage to leave him. He was planning to kill you, so she left you at the orphanage and went on the run." Dumbledore finished.

Zatora looked from Dumbledore to Snape as if they were insane. "Wow, this has got to be the weirdest conversation I've ever had. I'm talking to my Professor and Headmaster about why my biological parents had me. To top it off, you're both making it sound like my real Dad is the worst villain in history. I've had some pretty strange conversations with Pansy, Padma, and the other girls, but this conversation tops them all."

"Your Father _is_ the worst villain in history," Snape said in a cool tone.

"He used to go by the name Tom Marvolo Riddle. Now, however, he is known as Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore answered.

A deep silence followed his statement. For a long moment Zatora merely stared at Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look like this was a joke he'd thought up from the top of his head. The only other solution was that she had heard him wrong. "What?" She asked stunned.

Snape gave her a piercing look, "The Dark Lord is your Father."

Zatora let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The world seemed to temporarily freeze as she absorbed the information. Her mind was screaming at how wrong it all sounded. With out warning she stood up and backed away towards the door. "You're both mental," Zatora said shaking her head slowly.

Dumbledore's eyes were pleading as he said, "Zatora, we only wish to help. He's going to try to find you, force you to join the Death Eaters. For all we know, Voldemort may already know he has a daughter."

"You're lying! He's not my Dad!" Zatora said with tears brimming in her eyes. "Just stay away from me," she cried before running out the door.

Down the spiral steps she flew her every breath coming in painful gasps. Her world seemed to be spinning down, out of control, and shattering all around her. Tears blurred her vision as she ran. The bell rang overhead, the signal for lunch. Students began spilling out into the hallway. Zatora pushed her way through the crowd. She needed to get away. How could people possibly be perfectly happy when her world was crashing in on every side?

She heard Pansy call, "Zatora, what's wrong? Hey, Zatora, wait up!" Her feet continued running, ignoring Pansy all together. Everyone was going to the Great Hall, but she ran to the dungeons. Her eyes were filled with tears, making it hard to see where she was going. Where was she going anyway? No matter where she went someone would eventually find her. Everything was blurred in a mass of colors that seemed so meaningless. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be true. She ran into someone, causing her to have to stop. Desperate, Zatora made an attempt to get around the person.

Strong hands gripped her shoulders, holding her in place. She fought against the hold, wanting nothing more than to disappear. "Whoa, Zatora it's just me," a familiar voice said. What did it matter anymore? She was broken, beaten back. Today had been so right forever ago. What was she doing? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore… "Hey, would you just look at me?" The voice spoke again.

She looked up and her eyes found those of Blaise. Zatora stood there, tremors of emotional pain running through her body. Letting out a long fought back sob, she buried her face in Blaise's chest.

**Please let me know what you think! Well, she now knows. The problem is I'm leaving you to wonder how she's really going to take all of this in the end after she calms down. This was so much fun to write, and it was exceptionally long! I hope you enjoyed – please leave a review!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	21. Secret for the Grave

Chapter 21 –Secret for the Grave

**First of all: I have a surprise for all of you! There is now a video preview to this story. HTwilightPheonix has created a video and put it up on YouTube for all of you to enjoy. Go check it out, the link can be found on my profile page here on fanfiction. It's a pretty epic preview. I'm hoping you all will go look at it and let me know what you think! Does it get some more interest going for you guys? Spread the word around, show it to your friends if you like it! Hopefully this will get some more readers into this story.**

**Second of all: thank you all for the lovely comments on the last chapter. That chapter was fun to write. I'm extremely excited with this chapter. This chapter was so much fun to sit down and do, but at the same time it's also a bit of a sad turning point in the story. I'll just let you read to find out what exactly I mean.**

It had been just a day over two weeks since she'd seen Dumbledore, and still she had done nothing about it. Zatora built herself a way of living without ever touching the subject. Class, homework, eat, then a sleep; a daily routine for living comfortably without accepting the fact that she now knew who her Farther was. Whenever Blaise, Pansy, or Padma tried to talk to her about what happened she would avoid saying anything. Zatora figured if she told them then she would have to admit it was true, which she wasn't about to believe.

To avoid confrontation she spent more of her time at Hagrid's. A part of her knew that Hagrid was starting to get worried about her, but luckily for her he didn't ask any questions on why she spent every moment there. Every second she got was give to the creatures. In all honesty, she had fully expected Hagrid to interrogate her. What she didn't expect was Aragog to pick up on the matter.

"Well, you're all fed for the morning." Zatora said as she grabbed her bag from the ground. "I have some homework I need to do before class so I'll see you later this evening."

"You're a very bad liar, Zatora." Aragog said hardly moving.

She froze, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I know you don't have homework, nor do you have classes today." He answered in a weak voice.

"How do you know I don't have classes or homework to do?" Zatora demanded putting her hands on her hips.

"My dear girl, it happens to be Saturday. Not only that, but Hagrid told me you've devoted yourself to homework and creatures all week. I want to talk to you."

Zatora sighed but sat down on the grass in front of him. "What do you want to talk about?"

Aragog clicked his pincers in an annoyed way, "Exactly that, you're attitude this last week."

"What attitude are you referring to?"

"I may be blind," Aragog said with fierceness, "but I'm not stupid. You've said a few words to me all week, yet you've been here every day. What's going on, Zatora? Did Blaise break up with you?"

Zatora laughed, "No, he didn't break up with me. I think he should though…"

"Why would you say that? I know just how much you love him." Aragog said perplexed.

"I've been keeping a secret from him," Zatora said with regret in her voice.

"What kind of secret?" Aragog asked.

She sighed, "I can't tell you."

"Zatora, you know you can tell me anything and I won't repeat it to anyone."

"Not even Hagrid?"

"Not even Hagrid." Aragog said firmly.

Zatora looked around, nervous that someone might over hear. Satisfied that they were alone she said, "This secret goes with you to your grave. Promise not to tell anyone?"

Aragog clicked, "I promise not to tell a single soul. This will follow me to my grave in silence."

"I know who my Father is," Zatora said quietly. "He used to go by the name Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he's now better known as Voldemort."

"The boy who blinded me and got Hagrid expelled is your Father?" Aragog almost hissed. "I don't believe it."

"Apparently I look a lot like him, that's what Mr. Ollivander told me when I got my wand. So many things make sense now, at the same time so many things don't make sense anymore. I'm so lost and confused about who I am," Zatora told him fighting back tears that she'd wanted to cry all week.

Aragog sighed, "Listen to me very carefully, Zatora. You're nothing like your Father. To me, you are still the most beautiful, strong, kind hearted woman, I have ever met and nothing will ever change that."

Zatora inhaled with a shudder, tasting the salty tears running down her cheeks. "Thank you," she said, "but I'm still not sure I believe it. I've waited my entire life to know who my Father is and now I wish I didn't know. A part of me hoped that my Dad might come for me when I was younger, that he would somehow find me and whisk me away to better life. Now I don't want anything to do with him. I'm scared, Aragog. What if I end up being just like him?"

"Zatora, your parents don't define who you are. You create your own definition of _you_. I want you to describe yourself to me." Aragog said sternly.

"Well, I'm nice, loyal, strong, beautiful, lovable, and pretty smart. Kind, I suppose, and I love creatures. I have black, wavy hair, blue eyes, and have been told I have a wonderful laugh and smile." Zatora said thoughtfully.

"That doesn't sound like an evil person to me," Aragog clicked appreciatively. "See, you're not like your Father at all."

"I guess you're right…"

Aragog sighed, "Don't you remember telling me you would never resort to the Dark Arts because it caused pain, and you didn't want that for anyone? All because you knew pain; Zatora, that proves you are nothing like your Father. He causes pain, on purpose."

"Yeah, I don't like emotional pain at all." Zatora said softly, "You're right, Aragog, but if this gets out no one will ever believe that."

Aragog's voice turned serious, "No matter what happens, or what people may say to or about you, remember that I know who you truly are. Nothing, even death, could change the way I feel for you. I love and care about you as my best friend, and you're the first real friend I've had, after I met Hagrid that is human."

"So it doesn't matter what people would say about this?" Zatora questioned.

"The only thing that matters is how you believe in yourself."

There was a prolonged silence between the two as Zatora wiped away her tears. Finally, once she felt her voice was back, she said, "Blaise doesn't know though and, to top it off, I've been distancing myself from him."

"You always say how much you love him," Aragog said thoughtfully, "but you never say anything about how he truly makes you feel."

"How is he supposed to make me feel?" Zatora asked confused by the statement. "I mean, I've been wondering, since I started distancing myself, how to know if he's the one for me. How did you know, with your wife? Animals are different from humans, they mate for life. You couldn't see her yet she was the one for you. How did you know?"

Aragog's voice sounded weak when he spoke, "She really… Completed me I suppose. It's a magical connection that can't be broken. I don't think I'll see her again."

"How can you say that?" Zatora asked horrified. "We've been over this before. You're going to get better."

"I really don't think I'm getting better," Aragog said in a quiet voice. "My body just feels so weak and I'm so tired. Zatora, I really think this is my last day… I've known for a while this was coming, I just didn't want to scare you or Hagrid."

"What?" Zatora breathed her heart racing at his words. "You aren't dying now are you?" When he didn't answer Zatora got to her feet looking around for Hagrid. She rushed to Aragog's side, watching his slow breathing. "I should go get Hagrid he would want to be here with you."

"No, please don't leave me," Aragog said in a quiet voice. "Keep talking to me Zatora, just until I fall asleep."

"You can't die now, you just can't!" Zatora cried.

Aragog didn't answer and the silence killed her. "I really should get Hagrid," she murmured to herself.

"You made me a promise; you said you would talk to me while I die." Aragog reminded her, his breathing slow and labored.

"I know and I plan to uphold that promise," She said sitting down next to his head. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"Tell me about our surroundings…" He answered her. "Tell me about you…"

"We're really close to the forest, so there are trees all around us," Zatora said putting her cheek against his head. "There is a light breeze, which I presume you can feel. It's not bright outside, thanks to all the white clouds everywhere in the sky. I guess it's really beautiful and I wish you could see it."

Aragog took a big breath and let it out in a rush. Zatora sighed, "Just relax, you're only falling asleep. Don't think of it as dying think of it as a new adventure. I bet you'll be able to see again. Wouldn't that be nice, to finally see after all these years?"

"I'm happy you're with me," Aragog managed to say weakly. "You're voice is so calming and lovely.

Zatora wiped at her tear filled eyes. "I'm happy to be with you too. It's just a nap, right?"

"Just – a nap," Aragog muttered.

"You're one of my best friends and I'm glad I got the chance to know you. I'll never forget you," Zatora said softly. She looked over at him and a quiet sob escaped her lips as his body stopped moving. Aragog's body stiffened then relaxed as Zatora buried her face into his.

* * *

Hagrid gave her the rest of the day off. She had volunteered to come down for the burial but he had told her that he could handle it. With Aragog's death Zatora had finally made up her mind about everything. For starters she was being extremely selfish to her family and she was going to change that. She had known the truth of what Dumbledore had told her, but she had been too scared and hurt to admit it. That was until now; besides, it meant her _real_ family was in danger and she didn't want to see them get hurt for her doubt and fear. They needed her to step up to the plate for them to be safe and that was what she was going to do. For all the times they had stepped up to the plate to keep her safe it was time to repay that debt.

Zatora paused outside the teachers lounge, hoping that Professor Snape would be there. Professor Slughorn was still teaching Potions for the rest of the year. Snape was back as Head of House but he wasn't teaching. Hence the reason she hoped that he was in the lounge. She wasn't sure where his new office was. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened and Zatora came face to face with Professor Slughorn. He stared at her, "What are you doing here Miss Varner?"

"Uh, I'm looking for Professor Snape." Zatora said hesitantly. "Is he, by chance, in there?"

"Actually he is in here. I'll go get him for you." Professor Slughorn said before leaving her at the door.

Zatora waited patiently, feeling close to tears. She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat, wishing, with all her heat, no to cry. Snape appeared in the door way and said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I need to talk to you and Professor Dumbledore," Zatora said looking directly at Professor Snape. "I – I need help…"

Snape stepped out into the hall, closing the door softly behind him. He led the way to Dumbledore's office, Zatora following in his wake. Through the passage behind the stone gargoyle and up the revolving stairs they went. They stopped at the door and Snape knocked his knuckles against the wood. He gave her a reassuring smile before they entered the office.

Professor Dumbledore looked up from his desk, "Ah, Professor Snape… And Miss Varner, I wasn't expecting you. Please, sit down."

Zatora took a seat, feeling suddenly nervous again. Dumbledore leaned forward, giving her a penetrating stare. He smiled and his eyes regained their usual twinkle. "Zatora, I feel like I should apologize for our last meeting. I didn't mean to over whelm or frighten you. Obviously I succeeded in doing both and I'm sorry for doing so. My intent was to offer you assistance for protection of yourself and the family you life with." Dumbledore said comfortingly.

"No, I was being stupid." Zatora said towards the floor. She felt so ashamed and disgusted with herself for her selfish attitude. Swallowing at the lump in her throat again she continued, "Honestly, I just didn't want to believe what you said was true. I've been thinking about it and I can't believe how selfish I am. This isn't just about the danger for me, but my family is in huge danger as well. I wouldn't be able to bear it if they got hurt because of me… They've done nothing but show me love and kindness. They really don't deserve the mess I'm in."

"You didn't ask for this either, Zatora." Dumbledore pointed out. "It most certainly is not something to be ashamed of. You're the most innocent in this situation."

Zatora sighed, "Why did they have me? I feel like I meant nothing, to the both of them. What was the point? I'm just causing people and myself pain."

"Zatora, you meant the world to your mother," Dumbledore said kindly. "She loved you –"

"I'm sorry, but you don't know that for sure," Zatora interrupted sadly. "It doesn't matter, though. Right now, all that really matters is keeping the family that I have now safe. To do that I need your help, please help me."

Dumbledore nodded, "Of course I'll help you and your family. I'll have to write to your adoptive parents and let them know what's going on. We'll then contact the Order of the Phoenix, a secret Order designed to fight Voldemort, and put up protection at your house."

"Thank you," Zatora said gratefulness in her voice. She got up and walked over to the door.

"Zatora," Dumbledore said and she turned to look back at him. "Should you need any other help or just need to talk you know where to find Professor Snape and me."

She nodded, "I'll keep that in mind." With a small smile she turned and left the office. Her mind was racing as she walked down to dinner alone. Zatora had to admit that it was time for her to make her own decisions. The first, of which, was if she supported her Father at all. No; she may be his flesh and blood but that didn't change who she was. That wasn't about to change, she would never support him. Know that she had made a decision about that it left her decision with Blaise.

Zatora didn't see him as she came into the Great Hall. She felt almost relieved by this. It meant that she would have time to think about their relationship on her own. Never, not since she hooked up with him, had she thought she would be contemplating breaking up with him.

Confuse by her emotions she took a seat away from everyone and began to eat. She loved Blaise that was a fact she couldn't deny. In fact, she would be willing to take a bullet for him. The only problem was that she hadn't been open with him about this problem about her real Dad. She knew why, Blaise's family were in with the Death Eaters. If he let that information slip she would be in danger, along with her parents and brothers. That had been part of why she hadn't told him, the other was that she hadn't been accepting the news completely herself until today.

And then there was her brief conversation with Aragog. _"She really… Completed me I suppose. It's a magical connection that can't be broken."_ If what he had told her was true then Blaise wasn't the one for her. She wanted him to be the one though, wanted it more then anything else in the world. Her mother had, one time, told her how she knew Dad was the one for her. The first time they had kissed had been her _perfect_ kiss. Just like fireworks lighting up the sky, or so she had put it.

Blaise had never kissed her like that, not how she imagined a perfect kiss would be like. The guy would have cornered her, making sure there was no escape. He would slowly advance towards her, completely lost in his eyes. They would be close together, breathing the same air around them with out actually touching each other. The tension would be building as he kept her waiting, whispering something romantic to her. His lips would come to hers ever so slow and when they kissed something would just "click" into place. For a moment they would stand there, foreheads together, lost in the moment before they would kiss again…

_Ugh, get a grip,_ Zatora thought to herself, shoving her plate of food away from her. _Like that's ever going to happen. Love is complicated but a kiss like that would never happen. It's over complicated and is extremely stupid._ She looked around for Blaise, becoming forlorn when she didn't see him. Right now, all she wanted was to be with Blaise and put the last two weeks behind her. Completely uninterested in eating, Zatora decided she would go see if Blaise was in the Common Room.

When she got down to the Common Room she was disappointed, yet again, to find no sign of Blaise anywhere. She gazed unhappily around the room, wishing that he would magically appear. With no such luck, Zatora meandered to the girls dormitories. Perhaps one of the other girls had seen him. If not, she would just have to wait for tomorrow.

Zatora walked into the room to find Nina and Daphne talking in hushed voices. They looked up as she walked over to her bed. Nina gave Daphne a pointed look before saying, "Hey Zatora, what have you been up to all day?"

"Nothing much," Zatora replied with a shrug. "Have either of you two seen Blaise? I really want to talk to him."

Daphne shook her head, "No, I don't think we've seen him."

"She has a right to know Daphne!" Nina snapped with an angry glare. "It's better that she knows now, especially since she's been avoiding him for almost two weeks."

Zatora stared at them, "What don't I know?"

"It's not that big of a deal… I mean to say, I've had the letter for months. It's probably meaningless." Daphne said ignoring Zatora completely.

"You should have told her when you first got the letter," Nin argued.

"I don't want to be the reason they break up. Blaise obviously didn't tell her for a reason."

"That doesn't make it right for her not to know about this, and you know it!"

"Stop fighting you two!" Zatora said before Daphne could respond.

Nina sighed, "Daphne, if you don't tell her then I will."

Daphne looked from Nina to Zatora with defeat written across her face. She reached over to her bed side cabinet and pulled open the bottom drawer. Zatora watched as Daphne removed a neatly folded piece of parchment. For a second she hesitated then said, "Remember how Blaise was in that huge argument with his Dad? Way back when you two first got together."

Zatora nodded, "Of course I remember that. He got so upset about it for a few weeks. Blaise said he solved the problem though…"

"Blaise got this letter from his Dad the day he told you that." Daphne explained, "I found it after you two left the Common Room that day. It must've fallen out of his bag… I didn't know what to do with it after I read it, so I just kept it."

Nina nodded, "After a while she told me about the letter and I started trying to get her to tell you about it."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like whatever is in that letter," Zatora said eyes on the paper in Daphne's hand.

Daphne forced a smile and handed her the letter. Zatora held the folded parchment in her hands, staring at the name she so deeply loved: _Blaise_. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath while opening the letter. Her eyes opened slowly to read the words written on the page.

_Dearest Son,_

_Your mother sends her regards and, as always, was happy to hear from you. She misses you and is counting down the days until summer vacation. We've already book a trip to Africa to visit your older sister Sandra. It'll be a nice family reunion and we'll be able to meet your youngest nephew at long last._

_As to our long debate on your girlfriend, I must say I was satisfied to read your last response. The way you talk about, she sounds like too good of an influence on you. I was most displeased to hear she was against the Dark Arts. Blaise, two years from now you'll be a Death Eater and following in my foot steps. Therefore, dating someone who will support you is a key to your future success. At any rate, I'm happy I finally made you see reason and that you agreed to break up with her. I know you care for her but this is the best for the both of you. You will probably benefit the most when you break up with her._

_Sending my regards, your father_

Zatora read and then reread the last paragraph. The–oh–so familiar lump was rising in her throat that she hadn't expected to return. She looked up to find Nina and Daphne watching her. With trembling fingers she folded the letter back up. It felt like her heart was ripping in two. The last two weeks she'd been feeling guilty about not telling Blaise about being You–Know–Who's daughter, yet he had been keeping this letter from her for months.

"Zatora, it probably means nothing," Nina said in a whisper.

Daphne nodded, "He said that so long ago that it was probably just empty words. Blaise may have just said that to stop fighting with his Dad."

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Line from the letter kept jumping out at her. _You'll be a Death Eater. Dating someone who will support you is a key to your future success. This is the best for the both of you. You will probably benefit the most when you break up with her._ Curling up onto her bed, Zatora clutched her pillow to her tear stained face. She cried softly about the hurtful words in the letter and the secret she was keeping from everyone, including Blaise. Why did the last two months have to be so painful?

**Not as long as the last chapter was, but I can promise a really long chapter after this one! Chapter 22 is really long, or at least the rough draft is. Please leave a comment about what you thought about this chapter and what you thought of the trailer! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	22. Unraveling Secrets

Chapter 22 –Unraveling Secrets

**Okay, I want to apologize for not getting this up sooner! I got so many reviews for this last chapter begging me to update soon and I failed. I was doing okay at updating faster. School, unfortunate as it is, has started up again which means I'm busy yet again. However, I'm not going to leave this story hanging. What I'll try to do is update at least once a week if I can, which will mean that the weekends will mostly be the time you'll see another chapter (most likely, unless I have more time and I'm able to do more in a week). With that being said, hopefully I can stick to that.**

**Now I want to thank everyone for the reviews! Wow, I didn't think I'd ever see that many reviews for one chapter for this story. I want to answer Edwardlvr2317's question because I'm sure everyone is wondering the same thing. Yes, Harry is coming into this story. I know, it doesn't look like it's ever going to happen but it is. I really do promise that the Harry/Zatora relationship is going to happen. In fact, Harry is going to make more of an appearance starting in the next chapter (yay chapter 23!). To answer Edwardlvr2317's question though, yes this is going to be a Harry/Zatora story in the end. I'm sure you all want me to stop talking though… Then again, I'm sure you probably skipped this message and went straight to the story anyway.**

Zatora managed to avoid the subject of the letter with Blaise for a week after reading it. She talked to him in class and in free time, but avoided the very thought of breaking up with him. The thought scared her; loosing Blaise was a horrifying thing. He'd been secure for her this year, her best friend, and she didn't want to loose that. Desperately she tried to make him click into place that long week, but the harder she tried the more they seemed to be drifting apart. The secrets didn't hurt anymore. What hurt now was, knowing what was coming next.

Saturday morning found Zatora eating breakfast at the Slytherin table, alone. She was trying to plan out a good way to break up with Blaise when a large owl landed in front of her. Caught by surprise she jumped when the owl hooted at her impatiently. Quickly she took the letter from off his leg and the owl flew off. She hadn't been expecting a letter from anyone. When she inspected the hand writing of her name on the front she recognized her mother's neat hand writing.

"Oh," Zatora sighed, recalling Dumbledore saying he was going to write to her home. So this was the moment of truth. She'd completely forgotten her fear, with her problems with Blaise, that her parents might not want her anymore either. Looking up she saw Mathew across the hall reading a letter of his own. Squaring her shoulders she opened the letter to read it.

_Dearest Zatora,_

_When we first read Dumbledore's letter we were surprised, to say the least. To be truthfully honest, it's been a long time since we thought of you as our adopted daughter. Ever since we brought you home we've always thought of you as our own. We always noticed how much you seemed to need us while growing up. Now we see how much we, as a family, need and love you._

_Hearing that You-Know-Who is your biological Father doesn't change anything. To us, you are still our sweet, loving daughter. We're both proud of how well you've grown up from that little eight year old girl to the beautiful young woman you are now. Your achievements have left us speechless and we couldn't be happier with you in our lives._

_We hope that you weren't worried about us abandoning you. As we've said before, this news really doesn't change anything. We love you as do your brothers. When we see you again this summer, we thought it would be nice to sit down with the whole family and discuss this with the boys. We won't tell them anything until then. Remember that we love you!_

_With lots of love, Mum and Dad_

Zatora smiled for the first time in days. It was a relief to know her parents weren't going to leave her to fend for herself. She sighed in a content way as she folded up the letter and slipped it into her bag. When Zatora looked up she was startled to find Mathew standing in front of her, clutching a letter of his own in his right hand.

"Why am I the last one to hear about everything?" Mathew asked in an accusing tone.

"What are you talking about?" Zatora asked completely perplexed.

Mathew lifted the letter up, "I'm talking about why I'm the last one to hear about You-Know -"

"Shh! Are you insane? People can hear you!" Zatora snapped looking around the table with a worried look.

"But I want to know why you didn't tell me and why I'm the last to hear about this!" Mathew said staring at her.

Zatora stood up and pointed at the door, "Go; just go."

"Are you coming?"

"Yes, if you want me to explain then go." Zatora said walking towards the door herself.

Mathew followed her out of the Great Hall and across the Entrance Hall. Zatora walked over to a door, glanced around to see if anyone was watching and opened it to reveal a broom closet. She turned to look at Mathew, "In."

"Excuse me? That's a broom closet." Mathew pointed out.

"If you want me to explain then you'll go in." Zatora said folding her arms.

Mathew looked from her to the broom closet with a disgusted look. At last he sighed and walked in anyways. Zatora smiled and followed inside, closing the door behind them leaving them in darkness. After looking around for a little they found a light switch. When the light came on Mathew was glaring at her. She merely ignored the look, pulled out her wand and placed a silencing charm on the room.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mathew asked looking rather hurt.

Zatora sighed, "I haven't told anyone. Dumbledore sent a letter to Mum and Dad, they should be the only ones who know. Honestly, I was denying it up until last Saturday. How did you find out though?"

"Daniel and David wrote me a letter." Mathew said holding up the paper in his hand again.

"Mum and Dad said they weren't going to tell them."

"They didn't tell them. David found the letter from Dumbledore and he told Daniel. After Daniel found out he wrote a letter to me." Mathew explained.

Zatora smiled, "Leave it to David to find out everything. Well, so much for Mum and Dad's plan to tell you all this summer. I'll have to write and tell them that you found out. Although I'm sure they already know by now."

Mathew returned her smiled before pulling her into a hug. "We, as your brothers, have decided that we don't care who you're related to," he said with his arms still around her.

"All three of you don't care?"

"Zatora, we made you part of the family when you were eight. You're stuck with us for life, no matter what happens."

"You have no idea how much better you just made my day," Zatora said pulling out of the embrace. "Unfortunately, I still have to do the worst part of the day."

Mathew gave her a confused look, "What, you mean tell Blaise? He has a right to know as your boyfriend."

"No, I mean break up with him," Zatora said in a pained voice.

"But you were so happy with him. Why am I always the last one to hear about everything?" Mathew asked completely taken aback.

Zatora rolled her eyes pointedly, "Why do you say you keep being the last to hear about things? You're the first to hear about this."

"I wasn't the first to hear about your real Dad, or who your real date was for the Yule Ball," Mathew pointed out. "Plus I've been the last to know when you were angry with people or upset. By then you were already over it. And for your information, I didn't hear about you or Blaise until several months after you'd been together."

"Okay, I get your point. Next time there is huge information I promise to let you know first." Zatora said.

Mathew looked content, "Okay, now tell me why you're breaking up with him exactly."

She forced a smile, "Blaise and I have been falling apart the last couple of weeks. I'm pretty sure he can feel it too. We've been keeping secrets from each other. I know you're going to ask, so here read this." Zatora said handing him the letter that had been tearing her world apart.

Mathew read the letter, his eyes widening the further down he got. He shook his head, handing her back the letter. "I don't get it, you two were perfect for each other," Mathew said.

"You know, the letter isn't the only reason why I think we should break up…"

"What else could there possibly be?"

"Well," Zatora began slowly, "before Aragog died, the Acromantula who was at Hagrid's, we talked briefly on how Blaise made me feel. I asked him how he knew that his wife was the one for him. He told me that she made him feel complete. Ever since then I've been thinking, particularly about Mum and Dad. I know Mum said it was like magic, their first kiss. How did they know they were meant to be together?"

Mathew bit his lip, "I think I know the answer to that, but I'm not sure you really want to know or if I should even tell you."

Zatora gave him a pleading look, "Please tell me Mathew."

Mathew sighed while running a hand through his hair. "Alright, you remember Dad telling us he dated lots of women? I mean, like hundreds of girls… Dad told us boys later that Mum made him feel as though he were a puzzle and Mum was the missing piece that completed the picture. I've also heard different stories about that feeling. Like feeling really safe, completed, seriously happy, nothing can go wrong, that sort of stuff."

Zatora pondered this, "It sounds perfect, almost as though it comes right of a fairytale. The only problem is that reality isn't a fairytale at all."

"What do you call Hogwarts then?"

"That's reality for us."

"What if it is true, a true love for certain people? Hasn't Blaise made you feel like that at all?" Mathew questioned with a worried look.

"If that kind of love does exist then Blaise doesn't fit the picture." Zatora said giving Mathew a smile that never touched her eyes. "He's never made me feel like any of that. Sure, I was happy with him because I had a huge crush on him, but he never made me feel like how you described it."

"You know, I've heard that not everyone gets that feeling." Mathew said desperately, "Maybe, for all you know, you may just think Blaise isn't the one when, in fact, he is"

Zatora folded her arms, "I really doubt that, which doesn't mean I suddenly believe it. In fact, I doubt that true love is really out there. Besides, my luck lately hasn't been that great and, I'm sorry to say, I don't think it's going to get any better any time soon."

He sighed in defeat, "I'm really sorry Zatora. To be honest, when I heard you two were dating I thought it would last forever. I would watch you two at dinner and the way you looked, as if everything fit, was priceless."

"It's okay; I'm honestly okay with all of this." Zatora said, "I think I'll live. Besides, we promised each other we'd always be friends."

Mathew gave her a concerned look, "So, are you planning to get to know others if you're breaking up with Blaise?"

Zatora shrugged, "I don't know what I'm going to do. Blaise was a big part of my life, I may not want to date for a while…"

"Oh come on, Zatora. At least take advantage of this. I mean, you'll be able to date – maybe that's what you need. Get to experience dating rather then dating only one person." Mathew said.

"We'll see I suppose," Zatora said folding her arms. "I guess it depends on how I feel. Well, we need to burn that letter you got from David and Daniel now."

"What – why?"

"What if you loose that letter or someone sees it? I'm sorry, but I don't want the whole school finding out about this." Zatora pointed out.

"Okay – okay, I'll burn it." Mathew said pulling out his wand. He dropped the letter into an empty bucket and lit the parchment up in flames. Once the letter was nothing more then ashes he stopped the fire. "You are planning on telling Blaise, right? Maybe if you tell him about it you won't have to break up with him. If he finds out in any other way, it'll hurt a lot, for the both of you. Besides," Mathew said fiddling with his wand, "it's no fun keeping bad secrets from anyone, even if you're good at it."

Zatora gave him an odd look, "You said that as if you had experience."

"I – I did?" Mathew asked eyes widening.

"Yeah, you did," Zatora nodded with a smile. "Now you're acting all nervous. What secret are you keeping, I wonder?"

"You're not going to let me out of here until I tell you, are you?"

"Yup, you might as well tell me."

"Okay, but you have to swear not to tell anyone." Mathew sighed.

"It's that bad?"

"It's bad if Daniel finds out about it."

Zatora's smile faltered, "I promise not to tell. What did you do?"

Mathew sat down on an upturned bucket and Zatora sank to the floor, pulling her knees up close to her chest. With a small glance at Zatora he began, "So, you know how Daniel doesn't believe in the tooth fairy?"

"Yeah, he always gets so upset about it," Zatora giggled at the memories.

"I'm the reason why he doesn't believe," Mathew replied grimacing. "See, Daniel was still asleep that morning after he lost his tooth. I was super jealous he was going to get money but at the same time more curious if she really came. So, I snuck over to his bed, reached under his pillow, and pulled out a whole sickle. Well, naturally, I figured it would be fun to make him panic so I took the money and hid it. What I didn't expect was for him to get so upset. I've never had the heart to tell him it was me…"

"That's horrible, Mathew!" Zatora said fighting back giggles. "You should tell him, or at least repay him."

"Right, just like you should tell Blaise about your own secret." Mathew countered.

"That's different," Zatora shot back with a satisfied look. "You stole from Daniel and ruined his hope in the tooth fairy. At least my secret I couldn't control."

"It's not any better then my secret and you know it."

"I'm not hurting anyone with my secret, so there – I win."

Mathew shook his head, "You're hurting Blaise, and you know it."

Zatora bit her lip and looked away, knowing perfectly well that he was right. Mathew watched her expression turn from amused to rather depressed and sighed.

"Zatora –"

"What, Mathew?"

"Don't beat yourself up about keeping this from him and everyone else."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I can tell you're mad at yourself. Personally, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have told anyone else either."

"I suppose…"

Mathew smiled at her, "Come on, cheer up. Do you remember the time, back in your third year, when we all went to Hogsmeade?"

Zatora returned the smile, "Yeah, I remember that trip."

"Remember how mad we were at Daniel because he was ignoring us for some girl?"

"Ugh, how can I forget?" Zatora laughed. "She was so out of his league too. Yet he kept on ignoring us – even though he was supposed to be keeping an eye on us like Mum said to do."

"I got so mad that I spiked his Butterbeer with Fire Whiskey." Mathew said grinning, his eyes lighting up.

"He got so sick – now that was a really bad of us to do and not warn him."

"Daniel deserved that one. He was completely ignoring us!"

"So, it was still bad for you to spike his drink. I remember walking back with him. Gosh, he was so pale and a sickly shade of green. Poor Daniel was sick as a dog that night. He was still underage at the time, too."

Mathew laughed, "Yeah that probably tops all of the bad things we've ever done."

Zatora nodded, "Mum and Dad are worried I don't do anything wrong. In a way, they're right. I really haven't done anything against the rules before."

"Except the fact that you aren't telling Blaise about being related to You-Know-Who," Mathew said turning serious. "He's still your boyfriend and as your boyfriend, he has a right to know."

Zatora nodded, biting down onto her bottom lip softly. "I know I should tell him," she said softly, "but I don't want it to end. I want to break up with him but at the same time I don't really want it to be over. Does that make me selfish?"

"It doesn't make you selfish at all," Mathew said with a small smile. "In fact, I felt the same way when I broke up with my first girlfriend."

"Do you ever stop feeling bad and guilty?"

"Yeah, it helps when you both feel the same way. I'm not going to say it won't hurt, but it'll get easier," Mathew said standing up and offering her his hand. She smile and took a hold of it, allowing him to pull her up off the floor. He pulled her into a comforting hug and Zatora sighed into his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," Mathew said as she cried slightly into his arm.

Zatora nodded as she pulled away. She wiped away the tears and smiled again. I'm going to go find Blaise," she said with a confident gaze. Together they walked out of the supply closet. Zatora sighed, "I'm going to go see if Blaise is in the Common Room…"

Right as she said it Blaise walked out into the Entrance Hall from the door that led to the Dungeons. He stopped when he noticed her, giving her a strange look. Zatora starred back, returning his look with a small smile. She glanced at Mathew, thoroughly confused by the way Blaise was looking at her. To her surprise, Mathew looked as confused as she felt. Blaise walked over to them and stopped to stand in front of her.

"Hey Blaise," Zatora said looking up at him, "I was just going to try and find you."

"Funny enough, I was looking for you too." Blaise said with an edge to his voice. "I want to talk to you."

"Oh," Zatora said taken aback, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Why don't you explain to me why you didn't tell me about being You-Know Who's daughter?" Blaise said looking her straight in the eyes.

Zatora stared at him as the walls pressed in all around her. She took a deep breath and forced some words out. "How did you find out about that?"

"That doesn't really matter," Blaise said, "what matters is that you didn't tell me first. How long have you known?"

"Just a few weeks, three at the most," Zatora said quickly feeling his frustration towards her.

"Three weeks – you've known for three weeks? Why didn't you talk to me?" Blaise questioned sounding hurt.

"Well, it took some time for me to even admit it was true myself!" Zatora tried desperately to explain.

Blaise shook his head, "That still leaves an entire week that you knew and didn't tell me."

"I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how."

"Oh, right, so when were you planning to tell me, Zatora? I mean, this is huge."

"Huge?" Zatora asked feeling suddenly hurt. "Funny you should say huge because I would think you hiding a letter from me is just as bad." When Blaise looked confused Zatora reached into her bag and pulled out the letter from Blaise's father. She handed it to him, "You know, I could say I was planning to tell you when you told me about this letter."

Blaise gazed down at the letter in his hands, "You weren't supposed to find out about this. I lost it the day I got it, but how did it fall into your hands?"

"Daphne found it and she finally gave it to me last weekend." Zatora said in a quiet voice. "You told him you were going to break up with me. Why would you say that?" She asked now sounding hurt.

"Ugh," Blaise said turning away from her hurt filled eyes. He turned back to face her after a few seconds. "I didn't mean a word of it; I was just tired of fighting with him about whom I choose to date."

"So it meant nothing to you," Zatora said. "I can't help but wonder what were you planning to tell your dad when you hadn't broken up with me by the end of the year?"

"I hadn't really though of it," Blaise stated calmly. "Wow, I never thought we'd be keeping secrets from each other."

"Yeah, so where does this leave us now?" Zatora asked in a defeated tone.

Blaise shrugged, "I don't know. All I can think about is that I should've told you about that letter. I hurt you and I can't take that back."

Zatora shook her head, "We're falling apart, aren't we? I mean, we both hurt each other and, I don't know about you but I feel like the magic is – well gone."

"Yeah, we're falling out of love. No, you aren't the only one who's noticed," Blaise sighed stepping closer to her and taking her hands in his.

"Why is this so hard then" Zatora asked blinking back tears.

Blaise shook his head again and smiled, "We're each others first real love, its going to be hard. The good thing is we both decided to remain best friends, remember?

Zatora laughed, "Of course I remember. Always friends, no matter what; I certainly won't break that promise any time soon."

They hugged each other quickly, enjoying the closeness one last time as a couple. She kissed him before holding him close. He gave her body a soft squeeze, as if he almost didn't want to let go. They held each other close for some time before Zatora finally stepped back with a sad look in her eyes.

"I guess it's over now," Blaise whispered.

"That's that, I suppose. We're just friends now," Zatora nodded.

"I think I'm going to study in the library," Blaise said with a forced smile. He gave her hands one last squeeze before turning and leaving up the stairs.

Zatora turned to Mathew, "You were right, I should've told Blaise first. I think I might finally understand what Pansy was saying when she broke up with Draco. It really does, in an odd way, feel a little good…"

Mathew shook his head, "The only question is who told him? You've only told me really."

"Well, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape knew," Zatora said, "but I don't think they would've told anyone. Not without my permission, that is."

"I don't know, what if Snape _did_ say something…" Mathew said hesitantly.

"I trust Professor Snape," Zatora said thoughtfully. "No, I think this is coming from inside my own house… Oh, Mathew, stop acting as if I'm delusional!"

"Harry thinks, well says he knows, that Professor Snape is a Death Eater."

"You honestly think I care what he thinks or knows?"

"Zatora, you technically should! Our whole family is on his side. Besides, he was right about You-Know-Who why can't he be right about this?" Mathew argued folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"I don't have to agree with him on every little detail, do I?" Zatora asked slightly frustrated now.

"Well, no, but –"

"Just drop it, Mathew," Zatora interrupted, "I'm old enough to make my own judgments. I have a feeling that this is coming from my house."

"You have a _feeling_?" Mathew asked skeptically.

"Yes a feeling that I'm going to trust. If it's coming from my house then that's where I might as well start. I have to find out how many people know and try to put a stop to it all." With that, Zatora turned and headed for the Common Room.

* * *

When she walked into the Common Room, she'd hardly taken a few steps before Pansy ran towards her. She shrieked and hugged Zatora close. Taken by surprise, Zatora hesitantly hugged her back.

"Pansy?"

Pansy held her out at arms length, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Zatora asked confused.

"Let's take a moment to think about that. Oh yeah," Pansy said with sarcasm, "you're the Dark Lords daughter!"

Zatora gasped, "You know too?"

"Of course I do and I think it's great!" Pansy exclaimed with a huge smile. "You have to tell your dad, he probably wants to know all about you."

"What – no, Pansy, I don't want him to know about me!" Zatora said quickly. "And, for your information, it's not great."

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Uh, yeah it is great. Think about it, your dad is probably the strongest wizard out there. I mean, I wish he were my dad. Imagine all the things he could teach you about magic."

"Imagine what he could do to my family. Besides that, _I_ want _nothing_ to do with him. How many people have you told?" Zatora asked feeling sick.

"Well, I sort of told a lot of people. The girls in our year, some friend in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, Blaise and his friends…"

"You told Blaise? How did you even find out?"

"Of course I told Blaise, I thought you would be excited about this." Pansy explained, "They only thing I was really confused about what why you told Draco before me –"

"I didn't tell Draco," Zatora said shaking her head. "I haven't told anyone at all, not even after I found out myself three weeks ago."

"Oh, I just assumed that you told him. He's the one who told me," Pansy said looking confused.

"Draco told you?" Zatora asked, feeling as though all the wind had been knocked out of her. She shook her head, "I've got to go find Blaise."

"Why?"

"Because if Draco told him first," Zatora said, "then I have every reason to be beyond furious with him."

"What would you do to him?" Pansy asked looking worried.

Zatora shook her head, "I don't know, but he doesn't want to be on my bad side right now." Frustrated and angry she stormed out of the Common Room to find Blaise once again.

* * *

She walked into the library with a little more force then she intended. The noise earned her a reproving look from Madame Pince, the librarian. Zatora shook off the look, walking to their usual place of study. She rounded a corner and found Padma sitting at the table. Padma looked up and smile, pulling out the chair next to her. Zatora joined her and immediately asked, "You know, don't you?"

"About you being You–Know–Who's daughter? Yeah, I know – Parvarti told me," Padma said softly.

Zatora felt about ready to cry as she said, "Great, just great."

"It's alright," Padma said rubbing her back, "I completely understand why you didn't tell anyone."

"You do?"

"Of course; I wouldn't want the whole school finding out about something like that. Not to mention, I know how you feel about You-Know-Who. Plus, you look like someone just gave you a death sentence." Padma said with gentleness in her voice.

"The whole school is going to find about this," Zatora whispered her head resting on her arms. "I didn't ask for this, heck I didn't even want this. How could my mother fall for someone like that?"

Padma hugged her shoulders, "He wasn't always like that. For all you know he was really charming back in her day."

"Ugh, then why would she get rid of me? She should've been there to explain to me about everything." Zatora said wiping her eyes.

"She probably thought she was doing her best to protect you from him."

"I don't want the whole school to know about this. They're going to treat me like I'm a disease."

"Your real friends won't, though. We're going to pull through this, you'll see. I heard you and Blaise broke up."

Zatora nodded, "Yeah, we did break up. Speaking of Blaise do you know where he's at?"

"I'm right here," Blaise said sitting down next to her.

Zatora looked up, "Good, Blaise I need to know who told you first. Was it Pansy or Draco?"

"Why do you need to know that?"

"Because, I need to know who's spreading the word so I can put a stop to it. I already talked to Padma, but I haven't talked to Draco." Zatora explained fiercely.

"You're not going to be happy about it."

"Draco told you, didn't he?" Zatora asked him with anger in her voice.

Blaise nodded looking apologetic. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I know you. You would've gone to find him and give him a piece of your mind had I told you earlier."

"I'm still considering that."

Padma looked shocked, "Zatora, maybe you should cool down first before you go find Draco? I mean, you're upset – you don't want to do anything stupid."

Blaise nodded, "Not only that, but you need to tell Professor Dumbledore that the school knows about everything. You need help and you need it now."

Zatora's eyes widened, "The whole school is going to known by tomorrow. You're right, you two, I need to go to Professor Dumbledore. Can you two go stop Draco from spreading the word any further?"

Blaise and Padma nodded and Zatora stood up quickly. "I'll come find you guys in half and hour or so… If you haven't found Draco by then I'll come help you find him." She turned and left the library quickly, hoping that she wasn't too late in protecting her family.

* * *

An hour later and Zatora was walking through the halls again attempting to find Blaise and Padma. She felt like this day was happening all too quickly. Everything was a huge mess. Dumbledore had immediately set about to contacting the Order to set up protection for her family. He agreed that they didn't have time to spare – just in case Voldemort already knew about her. Now, she was hunting for Blaise and Padma, wondering where they were.

"Zatora – there you are!" a voice called from behind her.

She turned and found Padma running towards her. Slightly confused by the absence of Blaise she said, "What's up? You do realize Blaise isn't with you?"

Padma nodded, catching her breath, "I know. That's why I was trying to find you."

"You know where he is?" Zatora asked slightly worried.

"Um, yeah I do actually…" Padma said avoiding her gaze.

"Well, where is he?" Zatora asked suddenly suspicious.

"He's sort of in the Hospital Wing."

"How can you 'sort of' be in the Hospital Wing? What happened?"

"Remember how you wanted to give Draco a piece of your mind?" Padma said looking worried.

"Yeah..."

Padma grimaced, "Blaise sort of beat you to that. I told him you would want Draco to stop, not that it would do much good. So we went and found him; Pansy was there, she just finished talking to you. Blaise and Draco started arguing about you not wanting the whole school to know. Finally, Draco asked why he cared seeing as you two broke up."

"How did Draco know about that?" Zatora asked completely perplexed.

"Blaise let it slip while they were arguing. Anyway, he told Draco that he would always care about you. Then Draco said something about dating you and Blaise just snapped. I saw him to the Hospital Wing and then went to find you. It all happened so quickly that I probably missed half of it in story form." Padma said in a hushed voice.

Zatora shook her head, "This day keeps getting better and better, now doesn't it? Care to join me on a trip to the Hospital Wing?"

"Yeah – why not?"

Together they started walking up to the Hospital Wing. Zatora was grateful she had at least one friend on her same way of thinking. It really seemed that, apart from Blaise, Padma was the only one who wasn't excited about the Dark Lord being her dad. Padma understood how she felt, which was reassuring as her life was about to become a living nightmare.

Walking into the Hospital Wing they immediately saw Draco and Blaise glaring at each other from across the room. Pansy was sitting at the end of Draco's bed, refusing to look at either of them. Zatora and Padma exchanged worried looks before walking over to Blaise.

"You took my job," Zatora accused Blaise playfully.

"What's that suppose to mean?' Blaise asked.

Zatora frowned, "You put Draco in the Hospital Wing before I could. He's lucky you probably went easy on him.

Blaise and Draco glared up at her from their beds. "Can you promise me you won't hurt him?" Blaise asked Zatora shifting slightly on the bed.

"Let me guess, you won't tell me the full story about the fight until I do?"

"Nope, I won't – nor will I allow Draco to tell you. We don't need anymore injuries, even if he is a bad friend."

"Okay, fine, I promise I won't hurt Draco."

Blaise looked satisfied, "He said he was going to get you to fall for him now that we broke up."

"Zatora looked amused, "So you're telling me that you were defending my honor?"

"Yeah, I was attempting to defend your honor as a friend," Blaise said. "I was also trying to stop him from spreading the word about your real Dad any further."

Zatora turned to face Draco, "While we're on the subject, how did you even find out about?"

Draco shrugged, "It wasn't that hard to figure out. After all, you look a lot like your Dad when he was younger."

"How would you know what he looked like Draco? He was here long before we were!"

Draco sighed, "I told you, Zatora, You look a lot like your father. I just figured it out from that. Besides, you're forgetting my dad's close ties with your father."

"Do you even care that everyone's going to know now? The whole school knows because of you." Zatora said taking a step towards him.

"I'm failing to see what ever point you're trying to get across."

"My entire family is in danger because of you!" Zatora said tears brimming in her eyes. "What have you done? I can't trust you anymore." She shook her head before running out of the Hospital Wing.

**I told you that this chapter was going to be longer. I hope you enjoyed it. Was it good or bad? Please, leave a review! Let me know what you think. I can't wait to post the next chapter –Harry is going to come into the picture now! Be on the look out – I'm going to try to update sooner!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	23. The Letter

Chapter 23 –The Letter

**First of all – I'm so sorry that I haven't updated sooner than now. It's been such a hectic time for me that I just haven't had time to sit down and write. Heck, I haven't been able to really do much of anything. That being said, I apologize for my lack of an update. But as promised, I'm not leaving this story behind in the dust. I'm going to finish this one way or the other. **

**Second of all, there's a good reason why I haven't updated sooner besides me being busy. I had a sort of…. Come apart with the plot…. See, my plot bunny decided to take on a whole different route, different from the one I had originally planned. See, I've been trying to stay on writing like 5 chapters ahead of where I'm typing, that way all I have to do is type up, edit, and post. I was 5 chapters ahead of this chapter, but then things started to not fit properly. I went through panic modes – trying to make things work, but it fell apart. So, what I decided to do was go straight to the problem area and switch it. The good thing is that this version is working out much better than my last one – and it also stays closer to the book (not entirely, but I don't want to give anything away so you'll just have to read to find out what I mean). Please let me know what you think.**

The summer had not been kind to Zatora. By the time her sixth year ended, the whole school seemed to know who she was. The Slytherin's weren't bothered by the news of who her real father was; in fact, most of them thought it was cool. It had been the other houses that avoided her like the plague. This hadn't been too bad until Padma came to talk to her.

"Parvati doesn't want me to be around you," she had said in a quiet voice. "She says she'll tell Mum and Dad if I don't stop hanging out with you."

Zatora sighed, "I should've seen this coming. What am I going to do without you?"

"She can't stop us sitting together in classes or being in the library at the same time to study. I still plan on studying with Blaise, which means I'll be studying with you." Padma said with a small smile.

"It's not the same, though."

Padma hugged Zatora before saying, "Just give me the summer to talk to Mum and Dad. I'll make them see reason. Besides, Professor Dumbledore likes you. I'm sure that will help my case immensely."

Whatever hope Padma had seen in the summer had most likely been shattered when Dumbledore had been killed. School had been released early and that had been Zatora's last conversation with Padma. She'd gone home with Mathew only to be crushed again when articles about her appeared in the Daily Prophet. It had hurt her when she had read the first of many articles about her. With the help of her family and Blaise, writing letters to her every day, she finally decided to ignore the comments of ridicule and scorn.

Despite everything running down hill, there had been a few good things. Dumbledore had managed to still provide her family with help and protection before his untimely death. Her Dad and Daniel decided to join the Order, which meant they were helping to fight against You-Know-Who. Zatora had been rather pleased when she'd come home to warm hugs of comfort and discovered they weren't planning on doing nothing. It hadn't been a horrible summer, but it had been full of fear and worry, especially when the Ministry had fallen.

It was now nearing the end of their summer vacation. Zatora was taking the liberty of sleeping in rather then getting up. She had woken up several times that night only to drift back off into an uneasy sleep. There was an early morning glow in her room when she started from her sleep. With a sigh she rolled over, frustrated that she'd woken up again. Zatora was just falling back to sleep when her door burst open and a body jumped on top of her.

Zatora shrieked as the body on top of her own shook her awake. She struggled for a few seconds, attempting to get out from the person's hold on her. At last she stopped panicking, shutting her eyes tightly shut. Her heart raced against her ribs as the person bounced her bed.

"No, Zatora! Wake up – you have to wake up!" David cried still bouncing on the bed.

Zatora's eyes flew open, "David?"

"Oh good, you're awake. Get up – it came, it finally came! Please, Zatora, please get up." David said pleadingly, pausing in his bouncing.

"Wha – what came?" Zatora asked, blinking back the urge to fall back asleep.

"My letter – silly," David said, excitement in his voice. When Zatora merely stared up at him he added, "My letter for Hogwarts arrived!"

"Oh, right – that letter." Zatora said as David bounced on the bed again using his knees.

"Get up, Zatora! Mum's making breakfast and it's a wonderful day." David said, sliding off her bed and running out of the room.

Zatora rubbed her eyes and glanced at her clock. It read seven-thirty a.m. and she sighed. From across the hall she heard Mathew's strangled cry as David woke him up. With a small smile, she forced herself to get up. Still in her pajama's she went upstairs and into the kitchen.

Sure enough, her mom was indeed fixing breakfast. When she entered the room her mother looked up, took one good look at her and smiled. "David got you up, huh?" she asked Zatora, placing some bacon in one of the pans on the stove.

"Yeah, he did." Zatora replied, stifling a yawn.

"Tired?" Heather asked, looking at her again.

Zatora forced a smile, "I didn't sleep well. So David said his Hogwart's letter arrived. I assume mine is here too, then?"

"Actually, yours wasn't there. I don't know why it wasn't, but it was just David's." Heather said, cracking open an egg in the pan. "It's possible there was some sort of mix up. I wouldn't worry too much about it, I'm sure it'll arrive soon."

Zatora nodded, "Right, I'm sure it's nothing." She watched her Mum for a few moments, noting the worry in her face. Quickly she crossed over to the stove and asked, "How can I help, Mom?"

* * *

The next few weeks passed with Zatora gradually becoming more anxious as her letter still didn't show up. A week before the first of September she tagged along with her Mom and David to Diagon Alley. They went everywhere to get his supplies. David was thrilled to look at all the shops that were open as they gathered all of the things David would need. At last, there was only one item left on the list.

"Mum," Zatora said in a soft voice David couldn't hear. "Where are we going for a wand? Ollivander's is – well – run down after all."

"Ollivander's isn't the only place to purchase a wand, sweet heart." Hannah replied softly. "He simply made the best wands. I don't trust the man we're going to, but David needs a wand and he's the only man making wands around London these days."

"Why don't you trust the man we're going to?"

Her mother sighed, "I've heard rumors that he's a Death Eater."

Zatora froze for a few seconds before rushing after her. "Mum," she hissed. "You can't be serious. If this man _is_ a Death –"

"Just stay clam, we're dropping you off at home. I don't know for sure, but I don't want to take any chances with you. Besides, you can check to see if you're letter arrived." She looked over at her daughter, taking in her worried look and said, "Don't worry about us, Zatora. We'll be fine."

"But what if he's a Death Eater? I mean, everyone knows who I live with and if the dark side believes the rumors…." Zatora whispered, forcing her voice to remain clam.

"Would it make you feel better if I brought Mathew or Daniel with me?"

"Yes, it would make me feel loads better."

"Okay, I'll bring Mathew with us." Hannah told Zatora. "Daniel will probably still be at work. If anything happens, you are seventeen now –"

"I'll manage." Zatora said with a confident look in her eyes.

They returned to the house and ate a quick lunch. David kept, having to be reminded to actually eat his sandwich. He was so excited about getting his wand. Zatora couldn't help but smile as she watched his anticipation through out lunch. When they finally finished eating, Zatora volunteered to clean up so they could get going and get the wand David so desperately wanted. She went to the door and said good bye, returning back to the kitchen once they were gone.

Quickly she set to work cleaning the table and washing the dishes. Once she was satisfied that the kitchen was clean, Zatora grabbed her book from downstairs and curled up on the living room couch to read. As she read, her thoughts began to wander, her eyes drooping as she tried to stay awake. Daniel would be home in about an hour or even less. She'd have to tell him where the others were. It didn't make any sense why her Hogwart's letter hadn't come yet. Then again, did she really want to go back there? She was an outcast, after all.

There was one person who would know how she felt. How many times had Harry Potter been left out or treated like an outcast? At least every year at some point in time. She'd have to talk to him when she got back to Hogwarts. Maybe he would believe that she was okay and not evil just because of her biological father.

What an absurd idea, though. A Slytherin talking to a Gryffindor – that would be a sight. Why didn't they talk to them? The Gryffindors couldn't be that bad, could they? Her brothers were Gryffindors after all. Well, maybe she'd have to change that way of thinking. Of if Pansy could hear her now. Whatever Pansy's thoughts on the matter, she was going to change things. She was – going to talk – to Harry. Yes – Harry…. She was…. She was…

…_Watching a couple, a very young couple, in a foggy place. They were sitting close together looking comfortable, his arm draped around her shoulders. Zatora watched as he whispered something in the girls ear, and she laughed – this beautiful sound reverberating around Zatora. The man turned his face to hers, the eyes like that of a snake's. Those piercing red eyes burned into hers, turning into a glare. Horrified she stumbled backwards, tripping and…_

…_Falling onto the ground, she found herself lying in someone's arms, her head lying on the person's chest. The grass was warm under body, the trees swaying idly above her in a gentle breeze. Her eyes close as a hand played with her dark locks of hair. Who was this person? She didn't have a boyfriend, after all. Carefully Zatora sat up to get a good look at this person._

_Harry Potter stared at her as she stared back at him, once again horrified and in shock. He propped himself up on his elbows, gazing into her eyes concerned. Why was he looking at her like that? There were so many things wrong with this picture. For one, he had a girlfriend – Ginny Weasley. Second, she didn't know him and she didn't like him. Not to mention, she was a Slytherin. No, this wasn't right – they weren't even friends._

"_What's wrong?" Harry asked, moving closer to her. His hand reached out and pushed back her hair behind her ear. It slowly slid down her cheek, stroking it for a few seconds._

_Zatora closed her eyes tightly, wondering what to say to him. There was a loud clang and her eyes flew open. She was in a small circular room with a very dim light. Looking up, there was one small window with light streaming in at least twenty feet above her head. A person paused outside her cell room and she rushed to the door._

"_Please, let me out of here!" she cried as bread was pushed into the room. "There's been a mistake. Help me – I don't belong here – please, help me!"_

"_You don't belong in there? Take a good look around yourself." A man's rough voice answered._

_Zatora looked around the room and gave a small scream. The walls, the floor, the ceiling were made out of bones. She backed away from the door, taking a closer look. No – it was merely bricks carved to look like bones – human bones. Skulls stared at her, empty eye sockets gazing out of misshaped faces, jaws jutting out at odd angles, nostrils… Once again, snake like. She breathed hard, trying to calm down her racing heart._

_The man outside the door laughed as a shadow covered her light source…_

Tap – ta_p – tap._

"_But I didn't support him – I'm nothing like my father." Zatora said, gazing up at the source blocking her only light._

"_Maybe not," the man said, "but we couldn't take any chances, not after all he did to Muggle and Wizarding families. No – this is to remind you what your father had done to innocent people. He's a murder and that now falls on your head."_

"_No_," Zatora murmured.

Tap – tap – tap.

"Please – no." She muttered as the tapping continued. With a start, Zatora's eyes flew open. Taking a deep breath she looked around her surroundings, finding herself in her living room. Everything seemed normal, nothing strange or off –

Tap – tap – tap.

Zatora jumped and sat bolt up right as something slithered over her bare foot. "Freddy – don't do that!" She said, upon seeing him.

"I'm sorry," Freddy replied, "I was just wondering if you knew where the tapping noise was coming from."

"You've been hearing that too?"

Freddy nodded, "Yeah, I thought –"

Tap – tap – TAP!

In a flash Freddy was curled up on her left wrist, gripping it tightly. "I think it's coming from the kitchen." He hissed, giving her a frightened look.

Zatora got up slowly heading for the kitchen, her heart hammering loudly. With her free hand she gripped her wand, wondering what she was going to do. She jumped as the tap came again, a small gasp escaping her lips. Calming herself down she walked into the kitchen, ready to run out if she had to. Her gaze fell upon the kitchen window…

"It's only an owl… Oh thank goodness," Zatora breathed, rushing forward to open the window. The owl swooped into the house, landing on the kitchen counter. It ruffled its golden brown feathers, looking rather important with a letter in its beak. "Here, I'll take that," Zatora said, taking the letter in her hands.

The owl released the letter, clicking its beak at her as if to say: it – took – you – long – enough. With a shake of its head, the owl spread its wings and took off, souring out the window. Fredy glared after it, watching it disappear from sight. He shook his head a little, then turned his attention to the letter that Zatora was staring at.

"Is it from Hogwarts?" Freddy asked her.

Zatora shook her head, "No – it's not. That seal isn't the one for Hogwarts, it's for the Ministry."

Freddy looked up at her, "You mean the Ministry of Magic?" When she nodded he added, "Who is it addressed to? It could be for your parents…"

Zatora glanced down at Freddy still clinging to her wrist, before turning the letter over. For a second she stared at the letter, unsure what to think. She blinked and looked away, hoping the letters in the name would somehow change – rearrange themselves - to spell a different name. With a great amount of effort she looked back down at the letter, the name still the same that was written on the envelope.

"Isn't that –"

"My name?" Zatora finished for Freddy. "Yes, that's my name on the envelope."

"You should open it." Freddy said softly. He nudged her hand gently with his small head.

Zatora opened the letter, hands shaking slightly as she pulled out the letter. She unfolded it and looked down at Freddy. "I – I can't read it." Zatora whispered. "I know I need to, but I'm scared. Why are they writing to me?"

Freddy rubbed his head against her skin in a comforting manner. "Would it help to read it out loud?"

A smile touched her face before she nodded and read:

_**Dear Miss Varner,**_

_**You are hereby called to a hearing on the Second of September at the Ministry, to determine if you truly are a witch. Because you are an adopted child, we need evidence that your parents are indeed magical on one or both sides. Only direct family will be allowed in to the hearing. We ask you to bring any evidence to prove your case. We will also determine your return to Hogwarts pending your hearing on this date. We look forward to meeting on the Second of September.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Dolorus Jane Umbridge**_

_**Senior Undersecretary to the Minister**_

_**Head of the Muggle-born Registration Commission**_

Zatora finished reading the letter and simply gazed down at it. She reread the letter again to herself, soaking in the information. She needed to go to a hearing on the Second of Semptember, to determine if she was a witch? She would need evidence of who her parents were – her adoptive parents weren't allowed to be there…

The front door opened and Daniel called, "Is anyone home?"

"Yes," Zatora called half heartedly back, tears threatening to fall. Freddy rubbed his head against her hand before slithering down to the ground.

"There you are, Zatora." Daniel said walking into the room. "Where are Mum and the others? Oh, hey you've got a letter. Is it from Hogwarts?"

Zatora turned to face him, trying hard not to cry as she shook her head. Fear pulsed through her veins, yet her heart remained at a steady pace. Daniel stared at her, taking in her tear filled eyes and the letter in her hands. She quickly attempted to wipe at her eyes as Daniel took a tentative step towards her.

"Hey, Zatora, what's wrong?" Daniel asked.

Without hesitation Zatora crossed the distance to Daniel and gave him the letter. He read it, eyes widening the further down he got. Quickly Zatora wiped her eyes before Daniel looked up at her. Daniel opened his mouth to say something but Zatora beat him to it.

"Daniel I – I'm scared. I don't have any proof – who my – my real parents are…" She blinked hard while taking a calming breath to steady her voice.

Zatora found herself in Daniel's arms. He held her close, embracing her as her big brother. "It's going to be okay," Daniel whispered to her, stroking her head. "We're going to figure this out as soon as Mum and Dad get home." She nodded, holding onto her brother and on to that one, small hope that her and her family would figure this out.

**Okay – not as long as the last chapter but Harry did make a small appearance. I know it's not as big as I promised, but as I said I had to adjust how things were going. Harry is coming in for sure in chapter 24, I promise – which is in the works. Let me know what you think (do you like where this is going or would you rather see the other direction I was going originally (i.e. going back to Hogwarts and straying from the books)?). Your opinions mean the world to me. Thank you for all your support! I'll be putting up chapter 24 as soon as I finish it!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	24. Escape from the Ministry

Chapter 24 –Escape from the Ministry

**Once again I find myself apologizing for not updating sooner, but this time it really wasn't my fault. I had full intentions of updating the first day of my winter break - I wanted to update with a ton of chapters during my break. My first day of my winter holidays, I managed to get sick. In fact, I was sick for my whole break. I apologize, but apparently my body just needed to rest (although, not updating gave me so much grief).**

**On a lighter note, I want to thank everyone for their reviews, comments, and opinions. All the comments have been so wonderful and supportive – they've all been lovely. It's really helped me know how I can shape the story a bit better and the problems you have picked out have also made me aware of what I need to focus on. **

**One last note, there is a new video up by HTwilightPheonix. This video focuses on Harry/Zatora, so if you want something to do after reading this chapter, go check it out. The link is on my profile page. Thank you all once again for your comments/patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter - extra long as my apology for not updating sooner.**

Several hours had passed since the arrival of the fated letter. Darkness had fallen on the outside world yet the living room of the Varner's home was brightly lit. Zatora and David sat curled up together in one of the armchairs. Mathew had perched himself on one of the arms of the same chair while Daniel sat on the couch. They sat there, faces long and crest fallen, the only sound coming from their parents in the kitchen.

They all looked up as their father came into the room, holding the letter in his hands. He sat down in the other armchair as their mother came in as well, carrying a trey of steaming mugs. She paused in the doorway, taking in all of their faces. With a shake of her head she said, "I will not put up with all of your sulking faces for the next week. You all look like someone died."

"Zatora's not coming with me to Hogwarts." David said solemnly.

Mathew blinked hard, "What will they do to her if they think one of her parents was a muggle?"

"I heard they get sent to Azkaban." Daniel put in softly.

"What?" Zatora asked shocked. "I don't want to go to Azkaban. I haven't done anything."

"That's why we're going to sit and discuss what we should do." Mrs. Varner said, setting the trey down on the coffee table and handing the mugs out to her family. "Right now, you all need to calm down."

"Your mother's right," Mr. Varner said, placing the letter on the table and taking the mug his wife handed to him. "It does no one any good panicking about this. We're going to talk through a plan."

Zatora took her mug, watching her mum sit down on the couch next to Daniel. She took a sip of the Hot Chocolate, allowing the warm liquid to calm her nerves. David looked close to tears as he held his cup in two hands. With a gentle hand she rubbed his arm, trying to comfort him.

"Mum," Mathew said, seeing David's tear filled eyes, "maybe David should go get some rest. We can tell him the plan in the morning."

"No – Mum, please let me stay. I – I'm a part of this family too. I just don't want to – loose Zatora. She's my – my sister." David finished, trying not to cry in front of his older brothers and sister.

Zatora smiled and pulled David against her in a warm hug. She whispered to him, "I'll always be your sister." A smile touched his face briefly. Satisfied she said, "Let's just figure out what we're going to do about this hearing on the second. According to the letter I can only bring 'direct family' in to the hearing with me. Unfortunately, as much as I consider you my family, you don't fall under that description."

"That problem can't be solved," Mr. Varner said leaning forward a little. "This leaves the biggest problem left for us to deal with. Zatora, what can ou tell us about your parents?"

"Only the really obvious stuff," Zatora responded. "Names – that's all I really know. My mother's name was Vanessa Nimwater and my dad is You-Know-Who. After that, it's a complete mystery."

Mathew shook his head, "They're never going to believe You-Know-Who is her father. Even if they do, if the Ministry has fallen they'll hand her straight to Him."

"So what are you suggesting? That she lies about who her biological father is?" Daniel asked. "That'll go down really well. Next thing we know she'll have a hearing for lying to Ministry Officials."

Mr. Varner shook his head, "No, lying is not the answer to this."

"What about the name Nimwater?" their mother pointed out. "Is it a common magical name?"

Daniel shrugged, "Beats me, although I can say I've never seen that name at St. Mungo's."

"I've never seen it at the Ministry either." Dad said thoughtfully. "I can try to ask some favors to see if there's a log of that name in the Ministry records."

"That's a good idea," Daniel said, "I could do the same at St. Mungo's."

Mathew added, "I could check at my job at Gringott's. If there's a Nimwater in England they'd need to have a vault."

"So that's the only plan we've got?" David asked trying not to cry. It was apparent that sleep was threatening to overtake him.

"Yes, David," his mother said gently. She got up and moved over to him. "Come on – bed. You've had a long day."

As David and Mrs. Varner disappeared downstairs Zatora shifted nervously. "That's really the only plan we've got? What happens if we can't find anything before the hearing?"

"We'll worry about that when we get to that." Mr. Varner said putting down his mug on the coffee table. "For now, the most we can do is take one day at a time and hope for the best."

* * *

As September the second approached ever nearing, Zatora became steadily more nervous. It was nerve wracking waiting on information to come back. There was a desperate hope that something would come home and yet there was a fear in the house for the 'what if nothing came back'. The whole house seemed to be on edge as day after day brought no new information.

Daniel was the first one to come home with defeat. He had dug a bit and asked around but another mediwizard had told him that the information he wanted was classified. Even if the name was there, the mediwizard had said, any information wouldn't be released to him. He'd also added, being and older wizard that he'd never heard of that name before at St. Mungo's.

"There's still Dad and Mathew," Daniel told Zatora. He placed a comforting arm around her. "I'm sure one of them will find something."

Two days later, however, Mr. Varner came home for dinner and announced he had bad news. Apparently he'd asked some favors and someone had done a search of the name Nimwater. If there were Nimwaters in the magical community their names would've been in the records. However, upon searching, they had found that there weren't any Nimwaters in any of their records at all. It was possible that their names had been removed or lost, but for the current time it didn't help them.

"So, if the names are lost what would it take to find them?" Zatora asked.

"A lot of searching through older records," Dad explained over dinner, "and that's if they are indeed lost. If they were removed by the Nimwaters then it would be even harder if not impossible."

Daniel shook his head, "How long would it take to request for them to be found and for someone to actually find them?"

"Anywhere from three to four weeks." Their father responded.

"We don't have that long. David starts school in just two days." Zatora said with panic in her voice. "This is starting to look hopeless."

"Zatora, I want you to stay positive," Mr. Varner said quickly. "If you loose hope then it'll be harder on everyone else. We still have three days. Mathew, have you had any luck at all?"

"I'm still searching older records of vaults and owners," Mathew explained to everyone at the table. "You wouldn't believe how many last names there are that start with N."

"See, Zatora," their mother said, "Mathew could still find something." When Zatora still looked worried she added, "Cheer up, sweet heart, we're doing everything we can."

* * *

The night before David was to go to Hogwarts, Zatora couldn't sleep. Mathew still hadn't found anything useful. She rolled over onto her left side and stared at the moonlight peaking through her curtains. It would be strange not going back to Hogwarts tomorrow. Oh what would she give to be going back to school? She'd rather face Hogwarts and being avoided, then face a hearing with Umbridge and other Ministry Officials who could possibly be death eaters…

"Zatora?" A soft voice asked from the door.

Slowly she sat up and looked towards her bedroom door. There, in the doorway, stood David. In the light from the hallway Zatora could see he'd been crying. Sitting up straighter, she motioned for him to join her. He hurried over to the bed and crawled into her arms.

"I don't want to go to Hogwarts alone." David whispered.

Zatora held him closer to her body, "I know you don't but you're going to have to. You're going to love Hogwarts."

"I'm not going to love it as much if you're not there."

"That's not true," Zatora whispered into his ear. "Besides, I'm only going to be there one year with you before I leave."

"But you're not going back," David said through tears, "and you don't even know if you're going to go back ever. You may end up in Azkaban or –"

"Hey, don't say that." Zatora said fiercely. "Mum and Dad want us to stay positive and that includes you. Even if I end up not going back, you've got to have faith that Harry's going to put an end to all of this madness."

David gave her a skeptical look and said, "You don't even like him."

"You know what? I may not particularly like him but I like him more than You-Know-Who. Just because I'm not his number one fan, like you, doesn't mean I hate him."

"Zatora," David said, "you've never liked him. You hate it when I even mention that he's my role model. What suddenly changed to make you support him?"

"I don't know," Zatora said softly. "I suppose I've changed – grown up. All I know is that I support Harry in what he's trying to do. I also believe he's the Chosen One. To be perfectly honest, I think I'm okay with Harry – not on friend terms or anything, but I don't hate him like most of the Slytherins do."

David smiled, "Okay, you don't have to be his number one fan. I think I like this Zatora much better though."

Zatora frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I like this Zatora that isn't trying so hard to fit in with the other Slytherins in her house." David yawned, snuggling down next to her.

Zatora smiled and settle in next to him to sleep.

* * *

They decided it would be safer if Zatora didn't go to see David off the next day. Her father had told her it would be unwise to go to the train station, especially if someone from the Ministry was there. It wouldn't look good if someone thought she was trying to go to school. She had to agree that it was safer to play the good girl card rather than risk a bad image before the hearing.

Sadly she said good bye to David at home, reminding him to stay positive and keep out of trouble. Mathew gave his farewells at home too. He wanted to be early to work to get in some more research time. Daniel was already at work, but had already told David his advice along with his good bye's the night before.

Zatora watched her mother, father, and little brother drive off to King's Cross. She curled up on the couch in the living room, watching the clock tick ever closer to eleven o'clock. Freddy came up from downstairs and slithered onto her lap. Her hand stroked his head as her gaze stayed fixed upon the clock.

"Well, he's gone." Zatora sighed looking down at Freddy finally. "David's gone – the train's left."

"I know," Freddy said quietly. "I feel really off, don't you?"

"Yeah," Zatora nodded, "I feel really off too. It's strange not to be going back when you should be. I wish we were on the train."

Freddy nodded fervently, "I agree."

The rest of the day passed by in a blur; another letter arrived from the Ministry for Zatora. It told her that her hearing would be at twelve-thirty sharp. She was expected to be at the Ministry at nine to turn over her wand for examination. Apparently there were going to be others there for hearings as well.

Mathew didn't come home for dinner. He sent a patronus telling them that he'd be searching for anything that might help and would eat at work. Dinner was filled with a heavy silence and Zatora knew her family was thinking the same thing she was. If Mathew hadn't found anything all day, was he going to find anything at all? Her answer was that he probably wasn't going to and it wasn't hard to tell the rest of her family felt the same way.

She pushed her half eaten plate away from her and set down her utensils. Looking up, Zatora found Daniel and her parents staring at her. "I'm not hungry," Zatora answered to their questioning looks. "I think I'd like to take a warm bath though. May I be excused?"

Her mother nodded, "Go ahead, sweet heart."

Without another word she left the table. She could feel the tears brimming in her eyes as she made her way downstairs. Quietly Zatora went into her room to grab her pajamas. A hot bath would do her some good; it would allow her to cry without her parents or Daniel having to hear her.

* * *

Zatora awoke in the early hours of the morning. For a while she stared up at the ceiling, feeling her heart beating and listening to her steady breath. After she'd been awake for nearly two hours, she forced herself to get up. She found her best clothes, a light blue, flowing shirt with her best black dress pants. Once dressed, she braided two small strands of hair before pulling it back into a pony tail with matching blue velvet hair tie. With care she added some more defined curls to her hair and bangs before she was satisfied with how she looked. If she had no evidence, at least she would try and make a good first impression.

When she got upstairs, Zatora heard movement from the kitchen. She walked in and found, to her surprise, Daniel and her mother and father up and fully dressed. Mrs. Varner looked up from her cooking and forced a smile. "Good morning, Zatora. Would you like to have some breakfast?" She asked, waving her wand at the cupboard, from which a plate flew out and landed with the others set on the counter.

Zatora stared at the food, "I'm not really–"

"You need to eat, Zatora." Her father said sternly.

"I know but I'm nervous and want to be on time…"

Daniel smiled, "You have an hour and a half before you need to leave. Besides, Mum's cooking will help with the nerves."

"Please, sweetie," her mother added gently. "I'd feel so much better if you ate some food."

Zatora looked at all their anxious faces, gave a small sigh of defeat, and sat down. Mrs. Varner smiled and gave her the first plate of warm food. They all ate in silence, each of them feeling nervous for what lay ahead. Zatora kept pushing thoughts and worries about the hearing aside. She looked at her family, all unusually quiet compared to their talkative selves during meals.

"Mathew," Zatora suddenly said. "He's still not back?"

Mr. Varner shook his head, "No, he's not back yet." He exchanged a concerned look with his wife. "I'm sure he's fine."

After breakfast, Zatora went downstairs to grab her bag and wand from her room. Freddy was curled up on her bed, lifting his head when she came in. He slithered over to her, nudging her hand with his head. "May I please come? I can't stand waiting and not knowing." Freddy said in a soft hiss.

She looked down at him, taking in his wide eyes and sad face. "Oh alright; get in," Zatora sighed, opening her bag. He slithered inside as she tucked her wand into her pocket. With one last look at her room, she walked out and made her way to the living room upstairs.

Mrs. Varner embraced her as she came into the room. Holding her out she asked, "You do have everything you need, don't you? Your wand, the letter, and anything else you might need?"

"Yes, I've got everything." Zatora replied, hugging her mother one last time.

"Good," she said releasing her daughter. "Remember to stay polite and keep calm, no matter what they say. You'll be fine – I know you will be."

"Okay," Zatora said as Daniel hugged her as well.

Daniel smiled at her, "Stay calm and don't stress too much."

"I'll try not to stress, no promises." Zatora said pulling away. "I love you all so much."

"We love you too, sweetie." Mrs. Varner said, tears in her eyes.

"Always have, always will." Daniel added.

Mr. Varner put his arm around her shoulders, "Come on – we'd better go or you'll be late."

Gathering her fear she tried to turn into some form of courage as the two left the house and got in the car. The ride into town was silent, both father and daughter lost in thought. Zatora only snapped out of her thoughts when her dad was opening her car door. Together they walked to the Ministry entrance, separating when they reached the restrooms. They joined each other by the statue; Zatora was hardly surprise by the changes. _Oh how happy it must make Him,_ Zatora thought bitterly of her biological father.

"Come on, Zatora," Mr. Varner said, wrapping a protective arm around her.

They walked to the lift and took it all the way to the bottom. There were others in their lift that looked nervous and frightened. Zatora smiled at a girl who looked no older than twelve. The girl gave a small smile back before hiding her face in her own father's shirt. The group in the lift filed out when the doors opened and went to go stand in a line to hand over their wands.

What felt like merely seconds Zatora soon found herself up at the front of the line. The man collecting wands was tall, with a pointed face, and a strongly built body. He glared down at Zatora and Mr. Varner. In a deep voice he said, "Name?"

"Zatora Varner."

He looked down a list, "Wand?"

Zatora gave it to him, feeling nervous as he roughly took it from her.

"White Ash wood and Phoenix feather?" He asked her, tossing her wand in a box.

"Yes sir," she answered, flinching slightly.

"Are you on the list?' He asked, turning to Mr. Varner.

"Oh, no," Mr. Varner replied, "I'm her adoptive father, Brian Varner. I just came to wait with her."

"You may take a seat at the head of the hall." The man said, gesturing to some chairs. Zatora made to follow but the man stopped her. "You, girl, may sit with others down the hall." He pointed at a bench with others sitting on it, waiting for their examinations. A guard sat at the head, watching the family members closely.

"Oh, um – thank you." Zatora said, moving to go join the others. She gave her father a small smile before she walked past the guard.

As soon as she set foot in the hall, a cold chill swept over her. Zatora froze as she stared down the hall at the source. A black, hooded figure was down the hall. It glided in front of the benches, a single patronus, between the victims and the Dementor, keeping them safe. Zatora wanted to turn and run, but her feet seemed glued to the ground. The Dementor was turning to head back up the hall. Memories were flooding her mind… _An old orphanage… Children, sick with some horrible disease… Lying in bed, watching a girl next to her, crying as she died –_

"Girl, you have to sit down." A hand came up and grabbed her hand, pulling Zatora down onto the bench.

Zatora came out of her memories, as the patronus walked in front of her and the woman who had pulled her down. She watched, listening to the Dementor's rattling breath as it turned and started down the hall again.

Letting out her breath, which she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Zatora turned to the woman beside her. "Thank you – for pulling me onto the bench."

"It was nothing," the woman said. She had short blonde hair, brown eyes, and she wore a kind smile. "I just helped this young gal before you." She gesture to the girl next to her. It was the girl from the lift.

"Her name's Alice," the woman said pulling an arm around her. "Poor dear, was just telling me she was going to be a third year at Hogwarts. I'm Emma Strauton, by the way, but you can call me Em – everyone else does."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you." Zatora said, relaxing a bit, "I'm Zatora."

"Nice to meet you, Zatora," Em said. "You look young, still in Hogwarts?"

"I would've been a seventh year."

"I know you," Alice suddenly stammered. "You're Zatora Varner – my friends said you were _His_ daughter – _You-Know-Who's_ daughter."

Zatora looked away, feeling the comfort leave her. Em quickly said, "Let's all be nice – we're all in the same boat… Besides, you don't know that's true." All three fell into a deep silence.

One by one, people were called down the hall and into the court room. Zatora felt herself sinking into despair with the Dementor's constant presence. She wiped at her tears, trying to block out memories of her time at the orphanage. The thirteen year-old was crying into Em, muttering about how she wanted to go home. Zatora closed her eyes, wising for home herself.

"Zatora." A voice said to her left.

Zatora opened her eyes to find her father. He gave her a small smile, "There's still a little bit more than an hour before your hearing. I was wondering if you'd like something warm to drink from a muggle café – I can go get us both something and come right back."

"I'd like that," Zatora said.

"Hot chocolate sound good?"

"Mm – yes, please."

"Alright, I'll be back before twelve-thrity." Mr. Varner said. He grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Keep being my strong girl," he said to her softly. With that, he turned and left.

A man had just been asked into the courtroom. Time ticked by faster, as if knowing Zatora dreaded what was to come in simply minutes. Nervous chills swept over her body as she waited for her father to return. Oh how she wanted him to return. Only fifteen minutes left – he still had time to make it back. Ten minutes; there was still time. He'd come back – he said he'd be right back. Five minutes –

The man in the courtroom started screaming. "No – no! I'm a wizard – I swear I am. Please – please no! Halfblood, check my records. They clearly say halfblood. No – _no _– _Please _– NO!"

Zatora shrunk in her seat next to Em. "It's so horrible."

"Everything's going to be okay…"

"Zatora Varner," A man by the courtroom door called.

Em smiled at her, "That's you, dear. It'll be okay, you'll see."

Zatora nodded and stood up. She took in a calming breath before heading down the hall. At the door she hesitated, looking back for any sign of her father. With no sign of Mr. Varner anywhere, she plucked at her courage and walked into the courtroom.

"Are you Zatora Varner?" A familiar, toad-like person asked as she walked into the room.

Zatora looked up at her old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolorus Umbridge. "Yes, ma'am," she said, recalling that horrible fifth year in her class.

"You may take your seat," Umbridge said, gesturing to the chair in the middle. "Don't mind the chains; they're an added precaution."

Zatora had barely sat down when the chairs grabbed her wrists and ankles, keeping her firmly in the chair. She tried to get comfortable, but it was to no avail. The chains were holding her so well that she couldn't lean back in the seat. Finally she gave up and forced herself to relax.

"White Ash and Phoenix feather, is this your wand?" Umbridge asked, holding up her wand.

"Yes."

"Where did you get this wand from?"

"Ollivander's."

"You are here today because you are not a witch," Umbridge told her in a soft voice. "I highly doubt you got this from –"

"But I did purchase it from Ollivander's and I am a witch." Zatora cut Umbridge off.

"Oh really?" Umbridge asked, looking intrigued. "And what evidence do you have of that. Were you not adopted as a child?"

"Yes – my mother's last name was Nimwater…"

"Nimwater?"

"Vanessa Nimwater," Zatora stated calmly.

"Well, I've never heard of a wizarding family by that name." Umbridge said. "Unless you know your father's name, I'm afraid that's of no use to your case."

"I do know my father's name." Zatora replied in a soft voice.

"Oh, and what's his name then?"

Zatora grimaced before answering, "Most people call him You-Know-Who."

A silence filled the room after her statement. She could feel everyone staring at her as she sat, nervous now, in her seat. Suddenly Umbridge began to laugh. The room slowly became full of laughter. The only two people who weren't laughing were a woman to Umbridge's left and a man with blonde hair to the right. The man was giving her an odd look as Zatora sat there, waiting for the laughing to stop.

"You're lying," Umbridge finally said, glaring down at her. "You-Know-Who, have a daughter – it's simply absurd to even consider that to be truth."

"But it's true!"

There was a hurried whispering coming from the doorway. Everyone looked over and Zatora was surprise to see her father, Mr. Varner, being escorted by a tall, dark haired man. The man roughly grabbed her dad and shoved him into the room. Mr. Varner stumbled and quickly moved over to Zatora's chair. He awkwardly patted her on the head, deliberately avoiding her questioning gaze as to why he was sopping wet.

"Runcorn, what ever are you doing bring _him_ in _here_?" Umbridge asked, gesturing towards Mr. Varner.

Runcorn looked taken off guard for a split second before he said, "The Minister told me to bring him here."

"Oh," Umbridge said. "Well, if the Minister told you to bring him here…. I suppose he may stay then."

Zatora glanced back at her father and was a little shocked to find him exchanging a look of surprise with the man Runcorn. No on seemed to be paying them any attention, however, as Umbridge was rounding on her again. Quickly Zatora wiped her face clean of her surprise and looked back up at her, waiting for her to speak.

Umbridge was looking satisfied, "Well, Zatora Varner, I hardly believe your story of You-Know-Who being your biological father. I highly doubt you have any evidence to support your claim –"

"But – it's the truth," Zatora tried desperately to explain.

"The truth? Ha!" Umbridge said sharply, making Zatora flinch. "More likely a sotry you've made up in a desperate attempt to save yourself."

"No – Dumbledore told me last –"

"Dumbledore is dead!" Umbridge said almost triumphantly. "As it is, he was probably lying to you as well."

Zatora opened her mouth to answer –

"You're wrong, Dolorus." Runcorn's voice said, from Zatora's left. She turned her head and was surprise to see his wand out.

"Runcorn, what –"

"Dumbledore never lied – which in turn means you're lying. You've lied to a lot of muggles borns." Runcorn said as he features began to change. "If I recall, Dolorus, we mustn't tell lies. _Stupefy!_"

The spell hit her in the chest and Umbridge slumped back in her seat. Others were getting up, raising their wands but stunning spells were shot by the woman on Umbridge's left, Mr. Varner, and the used to be Runcorn, who now was none other than Harry Potter. The woman snatched a locket from around Umbridge's neck and tossed it to Harry as he put on his glasses. The three began to leave the room as Dementors began swopping down into the room.

Zatora struggled as Freddy slithered up into her arm. The Dementors were closing in as they both fought to free themselves. She looked up and screamed as she stared at the hood creature. A skeletal hand grabbed her face, forcing her to stop struggling.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Harry yelled from the doorway.

The patronus shot at the Dementors and cantered around the group. Harry rushed over to her seat and pointed his wand at the chains. "_Reducto!_" Harry said quickly, helping Zatora free herself from the chair. He grabbed her hand and tried to puller her to the door but she stopped in her tracks.

"My wand," Zatora said desperately, "I need my wand."

"_Accio Zatora's wand._" Harry said and Zatora wand flew through the air to her out stretched hand. She had barely grabbed her wand when Harry took her by the wrist and dragged her out of the room.

The four of them ran out into the hallway and the rest of the accused "muggle borns" began standing up. Harry glanced at Zatora's father and the woman, who was beginning to change. "We can't leave them," he told them over the questions that the people were asking them.

Mr. Varner nodded, "Okay, let's help them, Harry."

Harry released Zatora and stepped forward. "I need you all to calm down," he said to the panicking crowd. Silence fell and Harry went on. "Okay, I need to know how many of you have a wand."

People began raising their hands or pulling out wands.

"Hermione, Ron, I need you both to cast your patronus charms," Harry told them. "For the rest of you, if you don't have a wand you need to find someone who does. You're all going to have to get you and your families out of the country – it's not safe here anymore. Does everyone have a partner? Okay, we have to go to the lifts."

Zatora looked at the other two and wasn't surprise to see Hermione Granger in place of the woman. Even as she gazed at her father, his features were changing. She folded her arms, now a bit concerned as Harry turned back to them. "Where's my dad?" she asked Harry.

"I promise I'll explain later," Harry said grabbing her wrist again, "but right now we've got to get out of here."

Without another word, the four of them ran for the lifts. Harry, Hermione, Zatora, and now Ron crammed into one lift. Hermione hit the button for the atrium and the lift began to move. With a worried look, Ron turned to Harry and Hermione. "How are we going to get out of here? They already know someone's snuck in but with the polyjuice worn off –"

"I don't have anything in my bag." Hermione said shaking her head. "Polyjuice potion won't do us any good without hairs."

"We'll just have to make a quick run for the exits." Harry said. "Hopefully we can get of here without getting caught."

Zatora frowned and pulled her wrist out of Harry's hand. "What I would like to know is where my dad is, whom Ron – it is Ron, isn't it?" Ron nodded and she pressed on, "Whom Ron impersonated."

"He's okay, so you really don't have to worry –" Harry began.

"You just told all of the other witches and wizards that they had to get their families out of the country!"

"I realize I said that but –"

"But what?"

The lift was slowing down and Harry said quickly, "If we can get out of the Ministry safely then I'll take you to him, I promise. I just really need you to trust me for a few more minutes."

They locked eyes for a few seconds and Zatora felt her heart skip a beat. "Okay," Zatora said nodding. "Okay, I'll trust you – for now."

"Thanks," Harry said, grabbing her wrist again and pulling her out of the lifts as the doors opened.

Almost immediately people were saying Harry's name and pointing as they ran to where the large statue was. Ministry Officials started chasing them as they pushed their way through the crowd, trying desperately to get to their only escape. Spells shot past them from all directions. Zatora stumbled a bit as she narrowly dodged a spell. Her heart pounded with the adrenaline and fear running through her body. Harry cast a spell in an attempt to slow down their pursuers and in doing so lost his grip on her wrist. Thinking quick, Zatora reached for his hand and he caught hold of hers, gripping it tightly as they ran towards the fire places.

They were mere feet away from an open fire place when there was a clang and the grate crashed down blocking their escape. All four skidded to a halt and looked back.

"Harry, it's Yaxley!" Hermione said.

Zatora caught a glimpse of the blonde haired man. He was making his way over to them. Ron raised his wand and yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_"

The man, who Zatora assumed was Yaxley, was disarmed. Grates were still closing and he was still advancing on them. They ran, trying to find an open grate. Harry still had a grip on Zatora's hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Zatora saw two people stuck in a fire place who looked oddly familiar…

"Wait!" Zatora said coming to a halt again and attempting to pull her hand free. "Those two are my brothers, Daniel and Mathew!"

Harry stopped, looking from Zatora to Daniel and Mathew stuck in a fireplace. He looked ready to let her go her own way. She could feel his grip beginning to loosen on her hand.

"Harry – quickly!" Hermione shouted from an open fireplace.

"I'm sorry." Harry said to Zatora, tightening his hold on her hand again and dragging her over to Hermione. He grasped her hand as they went through the fireplace. Without warning they were disapparating. For a split second they were in front of a door and then they were leaving again. Zatora felt as though she couldn't breathe; the last thought she had before she blacked out was the tight hold Harry had on her hand.

**Wow, so much to leave you all with. I hope you liked this chapter - finally we get some Harry/Zatora action. I'll try to put up the chapter 25 next week. Good news is I have it written. I just need to type it up in between homework sessions. Let me know what you think – as always, your reviews mean the world to me and I can't thank everyone enough.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	25. Call Him Teacher

Chapter 25 –Call Him Teacher

**I apologize, everyone, for not updating sooner. I've just been super busy. I got asked, last second, to help out with some things. I then had school stuff to take care of, specifically finals that I needed to study for. I then get into the summer and found myself volunteering to help out with another project. Long story short, I've been a busy bee lately (it feels great, but it leaves little to no time to write). However, here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it!**

The first thing Zatora thought as she began to awaken was that her head was pounding. She let out a very soft moan and opened her eyes. Almost immediately she shut them to shield them against the bright sunlight above her. As she laid there on the ground, with her eyes tightly shut, she became distinctly aware of her left hand being held by another hand. _Please,_ she thought while turning her head to the left, _please let my hearing be today and that whole Ministry fiasco be a dream. Let Harry rescuing me be only a dream._

She opened her eyes and her heart sank. Lying next to her was Harry, his eyes still closed and his breathing slow and steady. Zatora looked down and found her hand in his, their fingers intertwined together –

Quickly, she pulled her hand out of his and scrambled away from him. She got to her feet, hearing him stir as she moved. Looking around she was able to see that they were in a forest. Just beyond Harry was Hermione, who was already awake and kneeling over a blood soaked Ron.

"Wha-what happened to h-him?" Zatora stammered in absolute shock.

"He got splinched when we apparrated." Hermione answered, starting to take of his shirt to take a better look at the damage. "Hold on Ron – please. This is going to hurt a bit as I take the shirt off."

Ron shuddered as the shirt was removed. Hermione's hand brushed past a wound in his shoulder and a cry escaped his lips. She winced at his outcry but continued to reveal more of the gash. Zatora looked away, feeling sorry that Ron was hurt.

"Harry, I need you to get something out of my bag!" Hermione said shrilly.

Zatora watched as Harry hurried over to her bag. "What – what do you need?"

"Essence of Dittany – as quickly as you can get it!" Hermione said, her hands covered in Ron's blood.

"Right – er," Harry stared into the bag. "_Accio Dittany!_" He said, pointing his wand it at Hermione's bag. A bottle shot into his hands and he rushed to Ron and Hermione's aide.

Quietly Zatora waited off to the side, fingering her locks of hair as the two tended to Ron. After a while Hermione stood up and walked past Zatora. She raised her wand and began muttering spells. Harry, meanwhile, started working a large object out of Hermione's small bag. To Zatora's astonishment, he pulled out a tent, flicked his wand and the tent began unfolding so as Harry could put it up.

Very hesitantly Zatora went over to Harry. She watched him tentatively for a few seconds before clearing her voice. He looked up at her, "What?"

"I – I was just wondering what we're doing…"

"We're setting up camp." Harry answered, gesturing at the tent.

"I can see that," Zatora said, "what I meant, though, was what are we doing about getting me back with my family?"

Harry looked up at her, "I told you that I would get you to your father if we got out of the Ministry safely."

"We're here so obviously we're safe." Zatora pointed out, trying to remain calm.

"Everyone is going to be looking for me now," Harry told her, placing pegs into the ground. "A lot of people saw us at the Ministry. They won't just be looking for me, they saw Hermione, Ron, and you leaving the Ministry along with me. You're in just as much danger as we are right now."

"What about my family?" Zatora asked as her control of her anger slipped away. "They're now in danger because of me!"

"I'm sure they'll be –"

"Don't tell me that they'll be fine when you don't know that!" Zatora snapped at Harry.

"Look," Harry said standing up, "I'm not happy to have you with us either, but I can't take you anywhere. If I take you to your family, you'll most likely get caught. You would either go straight to Azkaban or be brought to You-Know-Who and, I'm thinking it'll be the last option the Ministry will go with. Didn't you see Yaxley's face? He recognized you; the Death Eaters have been talking about you. You're lucky they hadn't figured out your relation to him much sooner or you wouldn't have had a hearing at all."

"So I'm just stuck here, with you?" Zatora asked furiously.

"Unfortunately, yes." Harry shot back at her. Without another word, he went back to putting up the tent.

Angrily Zatora walked to the far side of the clearing. She stayed where the others could see her and sat down on the ground. This hadn't been her idea of where she'd be after the hearing. In fact, she had fully expected to be in Azkaban and her family safe and sound. Zatora couldn't deny, however, that Harry was right. No matter how angry she was that he had dragged her with him, she knew he couldn't take her home without putting her family in even more danger.

Freddy slithered out of her bag and onto her lap. "What are we going to do?" he asked very softly. "Are we staying or –"

"We can't leave," Zatora said. "We'd get caught faster than you could say 'Hogwarts'. No, Harry's right; we have to stay. I guess we'll just have to make the best of it."

* * *

For the next few days Zatora kept to herself and left the trio to themselves. She tried to help out as much as she could, gathering fire wood and keeping their area free of any evidence that they were present. The only time Zatora remotely made contact with the three was in the mornings and evenings when they ate and went to sleep. Even then, she would remain quiet as they talked in whispers amongst themselves. The only one she talked to was Freddy, and their conversations were just as soft. They decided that it was best, for now, that the infamous trio shouldn't know about Freddy. Zatora could sense that it would only start an argument that none of them wanted.

Whenever Zatora was around Harry, Ron, and Hermione they would lower their voices, throwing her hesitant glances before looking quickly away. She wasn't sure what they were talking about but she got the feeling that their conversations sometimes turned to the fact that she was there. It didn't really bother her; she had been an unplanned addition to their expedition. To her, it made perfect sense that they would talk about her presence. Zatora figured she would just leave them alone and let them do their thing without giving them any trouble.

Most days, Zatora spent her time outside, talking to Freddy about things that were bothering her. It was a way to let out her steam, and Freddy was very willing to help her in any way that he could. Zatora was in even more grateful that she had brought her drawing book in her bag. She would sit and sketch her surroundings; to take her mind off of things. Usually she would draw the scenery around her, but other times, if she saw one of the others, she would sketch them down in her book. It was something to do, other than just sitting there. Something to pass her time, time that was so full of silence these days.

Her plans to leave the trio alone were shattered when Hermione came to talk to her. It was another dull morning and Zatora had just finished cleaning their camp area. She has chosen to sit down against a tree, choosing one so she could keep an eye out for when they were planning on leaving. Zatora was just about to lose herself in her thoughts when a soft and hesitant voice asked, "Zatora?"

Zatora looked up to find Hermione Granger gazing down at her. She forced a smile and asked, "Yes?"

"Can we talk?" Hermione asked her.

"Uh – sure, I suppose." Zatora answered taken aback.

"Great!" Hermione said enthusiastically, sitting down on the ground next to her. She smiled, "I'm really sorry that you had to get dragged along on our crazy adventure. It really wasn't our plan at all."

"It's okay," Zatora reassured her, "I understand; really, I do."

"Oh good," Hermione said beaming at her. "The fact still remains that you are going to be with us for a potentially lengthy period of time. Harry and I were discussing this and we're worried about your abilities to defend yourself."

"Okay…." Zatora said slowly, feeling a bit uneasy now.

"Are you any good at defensive spells?"

"Um – well," Zatora said feeling embarrassed, "I –I wouldn't say I'm amazing at it…."

"Would you say fair?"

"Not exactly, no…." Zatora answered. The fact was that their sporadic teachers hadn't exactly given her a lot of skills to walk away with. In fact, she didn't really remember the concepts of Defensive spells and fighting spells. It all seemed fuzzy from fifth to sixth year. She knew the spells, but asked to perform them in a real life situation she was hopeless.

"You're worse than fair?" Hermione asked, her smile faltering. "How bad are you?"

"I wouldn't say hopeless, I'm just not extremely good at it." Zatora said softly. "We had a lot of bad teachers and I didn't really understand that area very well. I managed an Exceeds in my O.W.L.'s only because I studied. I can't do the magic in a practical setting and last year I was failing most of the year with a Dreadful. I only managed to pull it up to an A for the last part of the year and, once again, I had help."

Hermione grimaced, "Maybe all you need is some practice."

"Wh–what?" Zatora asked taken off guard again.

"Yeah, come on. Let's duel right now; I can help you get the concepts down and brush your skills up to par."

"I – I don't know." Zatora said getting to her feet.

"What – are you scared?" Hermione asked getting up as well. She pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Come on, Zatora, you need to practice –"

"Maybe some other –"

"_Stupefy!_"

Zatora had a split second to dodge out of the way of Hermione's spell. She stared at Hermione, watching her stance carefully. Hesitantly she drew her wand, trying to think of a spell she could use. Her mind went completely blank and she froze, unsure what to do. Hermione, taking Zatora's state to her advantage, shot another spell at her. Quickly Zatora dodged and backed away.

"Okay, Hermione," Zatora said backing further away as she advanced. "I give up – you win."

"That's not going to work in a real duel, Zatora." Hermione explained. "_Expelliarmus!_"

Zatora's wand flew out of her hand and into Hermione's. "Now," Hermione explained, "you have no wand. What are you going to do in a real duel?"

"Run – seems like a safe bet to me." Zatora said, feeling foolish.

"I can tell you now that running won't get you very far – here." Hermione said tossing Zatora's wand back to her. "Let's keep practicing."

She had no clue how long they practiced. All Zatora knew was that by the time Hermione was forced to stop, she was on the verge of tears. Once again Hermione had disarmed her and she backed away. Her foot found a small hole in the ground and she fell backwards onto the ground. She felt hot tears of humiliation and embarrassment roll down her cheeks. Feeling completely beaten she buried her face in her hands.

"Okay, Hermione, I think that's enough." A voice behind her said firmly.

_Oh, why did he have to see this? _Zatora asked herself, quickly wiping her eyes and looking around. Harry was standing a few feet behind her, his arms folded as he gazed down at the two of them. "Give Zatora her wand back, Hermione." Harry said calmly. "I think you've beaten her enough."

"Harry," Hermione said, handing over Zatora's wand. "Zatora obviously needs a teacher and I'm not the one to do it."

Harry sighed, "Oh alright! Fine, I'll help her Hermione, but only if it's okay with Zatora."

"I'm okay with it," Zatora said, glad that she wouldn't have to face Hermione in a duel again.

"Okay, we'll begin practice in the morning." Harry said, before walking off.

* * *

"Get up, Zatora."

"Wh – what?" Zatora asked sleepily as someone shook her awake.

"It's time for your lesson, remember?" Harry's voice said from above her.

Zatora opened her eyes and groaned as she was met nothing but darkness, "What time is it?"

"Five." Harry said looking satisfied that she was awake.

"In the _morning_?"

"Yes – keep your voice down; Hermione just got to sleep." Harry hissed at her. "Go get dressed and meet me outside," he added before heading out of the tent.

Zatora got up and walked over to her bag. She pulled out some clothes Hermione was lending to her and changed out of the clothes she had slept in. She shivered and grabbed a jacket. After she was dressed, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbed her wand, and walked outside.

Harry was standing a few feet away from the tent. Mist covered the ground, obscuring the ground and any feet from view in the chilly dawn. A pink glow from the sky was beginning to light up the leaves. Hesitantly, Zatora walked over to Harry; she really didn't want to duel again. One day of horrible humiliation was bad enough.

Harry turned to her as she approached. "Ready to start?"

"Sure, I suppose." Zatora said cautiously.

"Don't worry; we're not going to duel just yet." Harry told her, "I know what you're like with dueling. What I want to start with is finding out what you do know – a quiz. I'll ask you questions and you'll try to answer them; sound good?"

Zatora felt a bit relieved and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, first question: what spell is used to get rid of a boggart?"

"Riddiculus," Zatora said slowly.

"Right," Harry said, nodding at her. "Let's move on to the next question"

For a while all Zatora did was answer questions as Harry quizzed her. Just when she was beginning to feel like the questions would never end, Harry stopped. "Okay, I think you get the concepts well enough. Seems like all you need is some help with brushing up the practical skills. Let's start with a simple spell; Expelliarmus."

"Disarming, right?" Zatora asked, pulling out her wand.

"Yes, disarming. We're going to practice on a target. This way I can help you. We'll start with doing the spell out loud first." Harry instructed, pulling something out of her pocket. He pointed his wand at it and made it enlarge to reveal a fake opponent made out of wood.

"Wow, nice." Zatora said in awe.

"Hermione helped me with this one, so I can't take all the credit." Harry told her, throwing her a quick smile.

"It's still cool," Zatora said, following Harry to stand further away.

"Alright," Harry said folding his arms, "I want you to aim at the target – good – and say the spell on the count of three. You ready?" Zatora nodded, "Okay – three – two – one!"

"Exeplliarmus," Zatora said, aiming for the target. Instead of the fake wand flying towards her, it flew to the side.

Harry's eyebrows raised, "That's the general idea, but the wand's supposed to come to you. Try it again, but this time with a bit more confidence."

"Right," Zatora said nodding to herself, "More confidence; no problem." She waited for Harry to put the wand in the right place before raising her wand. Harry moved to stand behind her, making Zatora feel extremely nervous. She could feel his eyes watching her and she tried, desperately, to get ready and calm her nerves.

"Three – two – one!" Harry said behind her.

"Expelliarmus!"

This time the wand went flying behind the target. They watched as it flew through the air and hit a tree. Zatora winced as some angry chattering arose and a pair of squirrels came running out of the trunk to disappear in the higher branches. A soft laugh came from behind her and she turned to find Harry trying to hide a smile with his hand.

"Well, that sucked," Zatora said, looking away from Harry's face.

"No, it didn't." Harry said quickly. "The general idea is happening, you just need to brush up your wand technique and boost your confidence. Here, let me set up the target again and I'll help you."

Once the wand was put back in place, Harry came back to her once more. He stood next to her right side. His hand found hers and lifted it so her wand was aiming at the target. "When you say the incantation," Harry explained, "the wand movement needs to be precise. Both of the times you did the spell, you were tense but you did the wand movement loosely. Don't be afraid of the spell; you have the movement and incantation down. Let the spell come naturally." He tightened his hold on Zatora's wand hand and guided her through the wand motions a few times.

"Okay, now try the spell again."

Zatora focused on her task and said, "_Expelliarmus!_"

The wand flew through the air and Zatora caught it in disbelief.

Harry smiled, "I think we'll leave it there for today. I'll come find you tomorrow for our next lesson." He took the wand from her and went to put away the target, leaving Zatora standing there. She stood stunned and amazed, but then a soft smile broke over her face as she thought happily about what she had just achieved.

**I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	26. The Unexpected Friend

Chapter 26 –The Unexpected Friend

**Yay – It's time for some Harry/Zatora action in this chapter. Enjoy!**

As the weeks played out, Harry continued to teach Zatora and practice with her. The pace in their lessons was quick but Zatora didn't mind. She had no problem in keeping up with Harry and was rather determined to do well. Not only was she ambitiously focusing on her lessons but she was also sure, in the back of her mind, that there was a reason for the quick pace. It wasn't until about a week and a half after their first lesson that Harry announced a new lesson plan.

"I think you're ready for dueling," Harry said when he met up with her one bright afternoon.

"What?"

"Dueling; I believe you're ready for it." Harry said pulling out his own wand. "We've gone through a lot of spells and you do them almost flawlessly now. Besides, you need practice so if you ever do need to fight you'll know how."

"Alright," Zatora said, "teach me."

Harry nodded, "Right, well, usually duelers would bow but—"

"That's obviously not going to happen when my opponent is evil and only wants to kill me." Zatora said finishing Harry's speech for him.

"Okay, who's teaching who?" Harry asked looking a bit disgruntled. Nevertheless, Zatora could see him fighting back a smile. "Right – so we're going to pull our wands out and at the ready."

Zatora mimicked him as he pulled out his wand. She pushed her hair out of her face with her free hand, running through spells she could use in her mind.

"You ready?" Harry asked her, and she nodded hesitantly. "Okay; go – _Stupefy!_"

"Wait – what –"

Everything went black…

* * *

"Zatora, are you alright?" Harry's voice asked from somewhere above her.

Zatora's eyes opened and she found herself gazing up into Harry's concerned eyes. Slowly she sat up, touching the back of her head gingerly. She winced slightly as her hand found a rather large bump. Other than that, though, she felt fine. "I – I think so," she finally said in answer to his question.

"You took a pretty hard fall," Harry told her, watching her anxiously. "I'm sorry – I probably shouldn't have just thrown a spell at you. I don't think you're ready for that yet."

"Yeah, you did kind of throw me off guard." She said, carefully getting to her feet.

Harry watched her lean against a nearby tree, "Do you think you feel up to another go?"

"Sure – I think," Zatora replied, nodding. She looked up at him to only find his concerned eyes once more.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah – I'm fine," Zatora said, smiling at him as she moved away from the tree she was leaning against. "See, no hard done. Besides, this time I know what you're going to do when you say go."

"Okay – we'll try again…" Harry said, nodding to himself. "Wands at the ready – Three, two, one – go!"

They practiced dueling well into the afternoon, Harry pushing Zatora to her limits gradually. Eventually, exhausted from all the duels they had managed that day, Harry decided they'd practiced enough. He lowered his wand and motioned for Zatora to come over to where he was. She lowered her wand as well and walked over to him.

"Let's call today's lesson good," Harry said, slightly out of breath. "You've definitely improved from the first attempt."

"Okay, sounds good to me." Zatora said nodding in agreement.

Harry nodded, "Come on; let's get back to the tent."

Together they set back off to where their camp was. They walked together in silence, not talking or looking at each other. Zatora felt a bit awkward and yet, at the same time, she felt oddly safe. As the tent came into view, they could see Ron sitting outside. He looked rather upset and when they drew nearer he got up, glaring down at Harry.

"Hermione and I would like to have a word with you." Ron said in a voice that was being forced to stay calm. "We'd like to talk in the tent… Without Zatora."

"Oh," Harry said, looking over at Zatora.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. I'll just – take a turn keeping watch." Zatora said.

Harry gave her an odd look but, without question, followed Ron into the tent. Zatora walked away from the entrance, found a place on the ground and sat down. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. For a while she sat there, gazing out at their new surroundings. The four of them had moved out to a rocky coast line. She loved the sound of the waves, the smell of the salty water. It reminded her of sunny days at the coast when she'd been in the orphanage. She could still recall Jacob and Winston, running along the water's edge, bare feet splashing in the water. Their laughter loud and shrill as they all forgot, for a few hours, about not having parents.

Of course, everything wasn't happy and joyous right now. In fact, it was the opposite. Even her surroundings seemed down and depressed, reflecting the mood that had over taken everyone in their group. Zatora seriously hoped that whatever Ron, Hermione, and Harry were talking about wouldn't turn into yet another argument. Lately there had been far too many fights and she didn't really want to overhear another one. Everyone just seemed so frustrated these days, snapping at each other about how unsatisfied they were. It was depressing to see so much anger and glum face every day.

The voices inside the tent were rising and Zatora wished she could tune them out. Determined not to listen to the argument, which sounded like it was about her amongst various other topics, she got up and walked closer to the water's edge. She slipped off her socks and shoes and took a step into the water. A shiver ran involuntarily through her spine as the cold water touched her feet. Tentatively she took another step out into the water. Slowly she closed her eyes and smiled a little as she focused all of her energy on the sounds the ocean was making; the gentle splashing of waves, seagulls above her, calling to each other, the breeze, sounds of fish jumping in the shallows.

Zatora couldn't help but jump when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Harry storming away from the tent, clearly upset. He walked to the edge of the boundary they had setup, found a large rock, and sat down. Nervously she watched as his hands moved up to his hair, running through his messy locks. For a while Zatora simply gazed at him, registering the stress and anguish on his face and posture.

Freddy poked his head out of her pocket and hissed, "Zatora, you can't just let him sit there. Go talk to him, he looks upset!"

"Freddy!" Zatora said, looking down at him. "I can't just talk to him. He probably wouldn't want to even talk to me." She pointed out as she looked back over in Harry's direction.

As her eyes found Harry, she thought about how unfair the setup was. Ron had Hermione to vent to but Harry was left to deal with everything on his own. She wasn't blind to how much time Ron spent with Hermione, nor was she blind to their secret looks and whispered conversations. It was obvious that they liked each other, Hermione had even hinted at it in a few conversations she had had with Zatora.

Tentatively she bit down on her bottom lip, considering these new thoughts. Maybe she could help him, get his mind off of things that were bothering him….. It certainly couldn't hurt to go over there, at least. He looked so down and miserable and her heart just ached at the sight of him hurting so much….

Making up her mind she quickly went over to her shoes and socks, put them back on, squared her shoulders, and walked over to where Harry was. She stopped when she was in front of him, contemplated for a second before she sat down next to him. Zatora looked out over the rocky shore line, "It's a nice view from here."

Harry looked up and over at her. He slowly looked out at the rocks and the ocean before answering with, "Yeah – I suppose."

An awkward silence fell between them as they gazed at the ocean, watching the waves. Zatora bit her bottom lip again before she asked, "Do you want to talk about it – what happened in the tent?"

Harry turned his head to look at her again. For a few seconds they gazed at each other before he shook his head. "I can't talk about it with you. Most of it has to do with the mission I'm on and I promised not to tell anyone, except Ron and Hermione."

"It's alright, I understand." Zatora said with a small smile. She looked down at her hands on her lap, trying to think of a new plan to try and help. After she thought on it for a while she cleared her voice. "Do you want to talk about something else?"

"Like what?"

"Um – like…." Zatora said, thinking hard for a conversation starter. "Like, what's the first thing you want to do after all of this is over?"

"What?" Harry asked completely confused.

"Oh come on – you must have thought of something you'd want to do." Zatora said matter-of-factly. "I know what I would want."

"What would you want to do?" Harry asked her, now looking quite intrigued.

Zatora gave him a mysterious smile, "I'd want a nice hot shower and a decent meal."

Harry raised his eyebrows, "That's what you want?"

"Yes, that's what I want." Zatora said forcefully. "What – you have something better than that?"

Harry looked away from her and back to the waves crashing down at the shore line. "I'd – I'd want to see my girlfriend Ginny…. Make sure she's alright."

Zatora watched sadly as Harry's eyes and face fell back into a solemn state. Quickly she changed tactics.

"Tell me about her."

"You want me to tell you about Ginny?" Harry asked perplexed.

She nodded, "Yeah tell me about her. Why is she so special to you?"

Harry smiled a bit before he began. "Ginny's just a special girl; I mean, I love how strong, courageous, sweet, caring, and virtuous she is. She understands me and I trust her completely. Not just that but she's also smart, beautiful, and plays Quidditch…."

For a long while, Zatora simply sat there listening to Harry talk about Ginny. He told her what she was like, how she made him feel, and how he'd first realized he'd fallen for her. Zatora let him talk on about adventures he'd had with her to happier days the two had shared together. It was fascinating to watch his eyes light up, his tone of voice switching to one full of hope, and his smile that could stop the world in its tracks. Deep in her heart, Zatora wished she could find someone to love as deeply as Harry felt about Ginny. She could tell how close they were as friends, and lovers, just from the way he talked about her.

"….That was the best day of my life, the day I finally kissed her." Harry said with a smile.

"You really love her, don't you?"

Harry looked over at her and nodded very slowly. "I'm sorry – I probably bored you with all that talk about Ginny."

"No, I – I think it's really amazing to hear how much you care about her. She's really lucky to have someone as sweet as you." Zatora responded.

"Don't you have someone – a boyfriend?"

Zatora shook her head.

Harry stared at her, "You're serious – you don't have someone special? I find that hard to believe; you're too nice not to have a great guy."

"Hard to believe or not," Zatora said, looking down at her hands, "I'm indeed a loner."

"You are not a loner." Harry said forcefully. "There's someone out there for you."

Zatora smiled at Harry, "Thanks but I doubt that. Who's going to date You-Know-Who's daughter?"

"Someone who understands, that your parents don't define you. A person who will look at you and see a girl who is strong, talents, beautiful, sweet and caring." Harry said, gazing into her eyes.

Zatora didn't know what to say, but she was pretty sure that Harry understood her gratitude from the silence and her eyes. For a while they merely looked into each other's eyes until finally they looked away. It was nice, sitting there together on a rock, looking out at the water. The waves the only sound as darkness fell. For some reason, their silence wasn't awkward at all even though they were sitting so close together.

"Thank you." Harry suddenly said.

"For what?" Zatora asked a bit confused.

"For just – just talking with me."

* * *

As the four of them moved from place to place, Harry and Zatora grew closer. He would teach her a lesson of defensive magic in the afternoons and then she would talk to him in the evenings. Zatora was surprised to find just how much she looked forward to their conversations. Most of the time their long talks, hardly made any sense. The two would talk about everything to anything. They'd talked about Quidditch (Harry had been horrified to learn Zatora had only been to one match in school) to Hogwarts, teachers, weather, pets, their surroundings, careers; they'd even spoken about their families a bit.

"What exactly would you call us?" Zatora asked one evening.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her, watching the small fire they had started to keep warm.

"I mean – are we friends, good acquaintances – what are we?" Zatora explained.

Harry was silent for a bit; he simply gazed at the flames, the only sound coming from the crackling embers. At long last Harry shifted, turning to look at Zatora, "I think, if we both feel the same way, we could be friends. For example, I really enjoy your company and I like talking to you. We've told each other a lot – minus big details. I… I think we could be considered friends."

"I think so too; not best friends, just –"

"Friends."

"Yeah," Zatora said smiling, "friends."

Harry grinned at her, "I don't think we're to best friends yet, but we're definitely more than asquaintances."

Silence fell between them again as they turned their attention back to the glow of the fire. Zatora liked how they didn't need to talk to enjoy each other's company. It was the quiet moments that they shared which Zatora loved most; the feeling that they didn't need to talk to understand.

"What do you want to talk about today?" Harry asked her.

"Let's talk about our families again. I told you all about my family but you only mentioned that you lived with your aunt, uncle, and cousin." Zatora said, "I want to know about the Dursley's."

"There's really not that much to tell…."

"But – they're your family; they must mean something to you."

Harry frowned at the fire, "What is it with you and family?"

Zatora stared at him for a moment before looking away. "I – I didn't have a family until I was eight. Not having a family for most of your childhood changes your perspective for when you do have one."

"Oh – Zatora, I'm sorry, I didn't intend that question in a mean way – I wasn't thinking."

"Don't worry about it – it's fine."

For a while they were silent again until Harry cleared his voice. "The Dursley's weren't exactly nice to me when I was growing up, so finding the Weasley's was kind of the same thing for me. I consider the Weasley's my family more than the Dursley's ever were."

"What did they do to you, the Dursley's?"

"Yelled at me, locked me up, didn't feed me, became Dudley's punching bag – you name it."

Zatora turned to look at him, "I'm sorry, that sounds horrible. No wonder you didn't want to talk about them."

"Yeah," Harry said softly, "they aren't huge fans of magic. Dudley's alright, I suppose; we left in good standing. It's really just my aunt and uncle that aren't too thrilled with me."

"Mmm, I felt that way in the orphanage." Zatora said, "Like – nobody likes you… Nobody –"

" – Ever would like you?"

"Exactly like that. I had two friends in the orphanage; everyone else thought I was weird." Zatora said looking down. "I never felt that way after I was adopted. That was true until recently. After the news got out about who my biological father was everyone started avoiding me at Hogwarts too…."

Harry looked over at her in time to see tears rolling down her cheeks. For a minute he didn't really know what to do. Cautiously he moved his arm to go around her shoulders. When she didn't pull away or react much to this, he gripped her close to him, trying to be comforting. "I've had people avoid and dislike me all the time, even before Hogwarts. It sucks, it really sucks, but it does get better; I promise. After all, it got better for me.

Zatora smiled as a tear slid down her cheek, "Thank you, Harry."

"For what?" Harry asked still holding her close

"For being my friend."

**Thank you for all of your reviews; your thoughts and opinions really put a smile on my face (even the ones that are constructive). I hope you liked the chapter and the next chapter should be up really soon.**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	27. His Daughter

Chapter 27 –His Daughter

**I did promise this would be up sooner than the last chapters! Not to mention but I added a book cover as well! Here's the next chapter: enjoy!**

As fall began to merge into winter, the mood in the camp seemed to drop just as fast as the temperature. Ron seemed to be the worst, picking fights and always complaining. Zatora tried to stay positive, but it was harder these days. She wasn't making any progress in Defense lessons, which did nothing to improve Harry's mood.

One evening, after a particularly hard day resulting with Harry snapping at her at the end of their lesson, Zatora decided to turn in early. It was strange for her not to want to talk to Harry, but she felt so worn out. She collapsed on her bunk, burying her face in her pillow. A soft slithering sound met her ears and she turned her head to the left to see Freddy joining her on the bed.

"You look upset, what's up?" He hissed, so only she could hear.

"Lessons with Harry, that's what's up. I'm not getting any better at dueling and Harry's upset about that."

"Which makes you upset?"

"Yes, it does – I don't like it when he's upset with me." Zatora whispered looking put out.

Freddy stared at her for a second before he said, in a sly voice, "You like him."

"Excuse me?"

"You like him – Harry, I mean." Freddy said.

Zatora smiled, "Well, of course I like Harry. It would be difficult to be friends with him if I didn't like him or enjoy being around him."

"I know you like him as a friend." Freddy said impatiently. "I think you have a crush on him."

"What!" Zatora said in shock.

"Oh come on, Zatora. When you're not with him you're talking to me about him. You spend a great deal of time talking to him too. He's even managed to get into your drawing book – the one that's not for your creatures!"

Zatora rolled her eyes, "Yeah, he made it in my drawing book because he's my_ friend_. I also spend time with Hermione too."

"Most of the time you're with Harry, though." Freddy pointed out.

"I don't have a crush on Harry," Zatora said stubbornly. "Just drop it Freddy; I'm exhausted and I just want to sleep."

"Alright, fine, sleep." Freddy hissed at her whilst slithering off to her bag. "You should know, though, that I know you're dreaming about Harry – and not in a friend type of way."

Zatora watched him slither into her bag, a look of amazement on her face. Sure, she'd been dreaming about Harry, but it wasn't her fault. She couldn't control her dreams! He was cute, funny, and she was oddly attracted to him. There was just something about him, whenever she was near him that made her feel complete…..

"_Stop it_!" Zatora whispered to herself. "He has a _girlfriend_! Besides, he'd _never_ fall for you."

With a small sigh she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

* * *

_Zatora stirred in her sleep; she was lying on her right side, her left hand resting on top of a flat chest. It felt right, normal to be in this position; her mind hardly questioned it. Warm arms were holding her close. She smiled a bit and snuggled in closer._

_A crying sound, however, made the happiness end._

_The man next to her stretched before muttering, "The baby's crying."_

"_It's your turn," Zatora said automatically._

_He sighed in defeat but nevertheless, disentangled himself from her and got up._

_**Baby?** Zatora thought as the crying stopped. **I'm too young to have a baby – I'm on the run, with –**_

_She opened her eyes to see Harry standing there, holding a small bundle in his arms. His gaze was locked on this small child. As Zatora watched him, mesmerized, she suddenly felt at peace, listening to him whisper words of comfort to the baby in his arms. A smile crept upon her face as she continued to gaze at them._

_Harry looked over at her, "I think someone wants her mother."_

"_Mmm," Zatora said in response, "I'm assuming you mean Ginny – where is she?" **He must mean Ginny; it couldn't possibly be my baby…. We aren't together…. We're just friends, even if we were asleep in the same bed. Friends sometimes sleep on or in the same bed….. It's not mine, it's not….**_

"_No, I meant you." Harry said, looking concerned._

_Zatora stared at him for a second before looking down at her left hand. There, on her ring finger was a wedding ring. She looked at it in shock; this was too much. What about Ginny? Harry was just her friend, wasn't he? She didn't have feelings for Harry – or did she? When did she have a baby? She had had Harry's baby?"_

"_You love him, Zatora, you know you do!" Freddy sang in her head._

_Zatora shut her eyes tightly –_

* * *

-and jolted awake, her eyes flashing open to gaze up at the top bunk of the bed. Zatora sighed, closing her eyes and running her left hand over her face. Just as quickly she removed her hand to look at her ring finger. Another sigh as she found it void of any ring.

For a while she just laid there, trying to calm her breathing and racing heart. Once her breathing slowed and her heart had returned to a normal pace she got up. She went to the bathroom to change into some clean clothes. When she was finished, she walked out of the bathroom where she froze.

Zatora was surprised she hadn't noticed Hermione before. She was fast asleep in a chair, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes looked red and puffy, as if she'd cried herself to sleep. Even stranger was the fact that both of the bunks the boys used were empty and desolate. Deciding not to wake Hermione, or Freddy, she set down her dirty clothes and walked outside.

She had no problem finding Harry; he was sitting feet away from the tent, perched on a log, close to the forest's edge. What struck her as odd was that there was no sight of Ron anywhere. Zatora had thought that if both boys weren't in the tent, regardless of their arguments, they could've been found together. The fact remained, though, that Harry was very much alone. She also could see the gold chain around his neck, which meant he was wearing the locket that the three seemed obsessed with.

She approached Harry almost cautiously. When Zatora felt she was close enough to be heard, she asked, in a soft voice, "Harry?"

He didn't answer, continuing to gaze down at the ground. Quietly she moved to sit down next to him on the log. Harry responded to this action though. "Don't; just don't, Zatora."

"Don't – don't what?" Zatora asked, slightly confused.

"I don't want to talk about it so you might as well not sit down." Harry said.

Zatora stared at him, "Oh – okay, I'll just stand then…." There was a long silence before Zatora worked up her nerves to ask the one question on her mind. "Harry – where's Ron?"

Harry sighed, "He's gone."

"What?"

"Ron's gone. We got into a huge fight last night, which resulted in him leaving. And, before you even go where I know you're thinking about going," Harry said, turning to look up at her, "I can't talk about it with you. The fight was about my mission and you can't help me."

Zatora blinked, "Okay, you can't talk about it. Do you want to talk–"

"No, Zatora, I don't want to talk about anything else!" Harry snapped, getting to his feet.

"Alright, there's no need to snap at me; I'm just trying to–"

"Help, yes, I realize that. You're always trying to help. Ron pointed that out to me last night." Harry said, looking upset. "Your idea of helping is distracting and I can't afford distractions, Zatora. I shouldn't have started getting to know; we've gotten too close and I'm not even sure I can trust you."

Zatora looked away from him, trying hard not to cry. The silence between them, for once, was uncomfortable and odd, as if it were a funeral rather than peaceful bliss.

"Oh please don't tell me You-Know-Who's daughter is crying," Harry said in disgust.

Zatora blinked back tears, looking up sharply at those words. "I am not His daughter," Zatora said quietly, "I'm a Varner and yes we cry."

"Oh please," Harry said glaring at her, "you don't honestly believe you're really a Varner, do you? You only knew them for half of your life."

"They raised me!" Zatora almost shouted at him. "I also know how much I love them; how much they love me."

"The Varner's may have raised you," Harry said softly, "but it doesn't change who your real parents are. You're still His daughter and eventually that'll come out."

"I don't know what your problem is today," Zatora said, tears in her eyes, "but you're wrong. I choose who I'm going to be. You, Harry, of all people should know that. You grew up with Dursley's!"

"I, at least, wasn't in Slytherin. I was surrounded by people who were a good influence on me."

"That's funny, because you're acting just like a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor! I thought you were different but I was wrong. You are just like everyone else at Hogwarts; in fact, you're the worst. Do you want to know why? Because you got to know me and what hurts even more is, you, Harry, know I'm not anything like my biological father!" Zatora said, glaring at Harry, her rage pounding through her body – fueling her.

"Funny – when you're angry you're just like Him."

It was like Harry had slapped her in the face. All she could do, for a minute, was stare at him in shock and reproach. Zatora couldn't believe that probably an hour ago she was wondering if she had feelings for him. It was like he'd ripped her heart in half with his words. She took a deep shuddering breath before walking past Harry, heading towards the forest.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked behind her.

"I'm – taking a walk." Zatora said, turning to look back at him. "I need to be alone and I don't want to go back to the tent. Hermione was still asleep, last time I was in there."

With that she walked off into the forest. She didn't understand why his words had hurt her so much. Zatora continued to walk, past trees and bushes; the forest was cold with winter, matching her mood. The brown leaves under her feed hardly made any sound as they were wet with dew. Far above her, light grey clouds blocked out the sun, casting an odd light over her surroundings. She continued to walk deeper into the forest, feeling blinded by frustration and her emotions.

Zatora refused to admit she was anything like You-Know-Who. The two of them had nothing in common except for maybe being sorted into Slytherin. Other than that one small thing, they were polar opposites. How could anyone who knew here even suggest such a thin?

But Harry had suggested it. Did he really think so badly of her? She'd done nothing to him over the last couple of weeks except try to make him happier. Why, then, did he have to snap at her? His words had really hurt, despite the fact she didn't believe them.

She continued walking, not really paying attention to where she was going. The more she thought about Harry's words the more she wanted to know why she cared so much. Why _did_ she care what Harry thought of her? He was just her friend, nothing more. Then why did if feel like he'd cut a large hole out her chest?

Maybe Freddy was right; maybe she did like Harry. Because, no matter how hurt she was, she couldn't stay mad at Harry. Staying mad at Harry would, in the long run, hurt more than his harsh words. She didn't want to lose her new found friend over some stupid words. Besides, Harry had just lost Ron; of course he was going to be on edge. When Zatora thought about it, she'd just chosen the wrong time to talk to Harry. It really wasn't his fault and it would be so much easier to apologize and clear up the whole misunderstanding. Besides, she didn't trust that locket. Everyone seemed on edge whenever they wore it…. No, she was going to go back and make everything right.

"Well my, my, my – what have we here?"

Zatora nearly jumped out of her skin. Someone from behind her had spoken. It also wasn't a voice she recognized. Slowly she turned around, extremely afraid of what she was about to find.

It wasn't just one person behind her but a small group. Automatically she took a small step back, feeling out numbered. They were all wearing filthy and rugged clothing. Her father, before her hearing, had talked about Snatchers. These people certainly fit the description.

"What's your name, love?" the man who had spoken before asked.

"My – my name?" Zatora asked, wanting nothing more than to run for it.

"Yes, your name; great way to start a conversation, you see. For example, my name's Scabior." Scabior said, staring at her.

_Lie, Zatora!_ She thought, "I'm – people call me – Pansy."

Scabior looked to someone next to him, "Check the list." He then turned his attention back on Zatora, "So, Pansy, why are you out here all alone? Don't you know the woods can be a dangerous place for a young girl?"

"I was taking a nature hike and I got lost from my friends." Zatora said quickly.

"The name Pansy isn't on the list, but look at this Scabior!" the man with the pocket notebook said, handing over a newspaper clipping.

Scabior looked at the clipping and then back at Zatora, "Pansy, are you a muggle or a magical gal?"

"M – muggle?" Zatora asked, trying to play dumb but feeling her control on the situation slipping out of her grasp.

"Yes, muggle – Pansy." Scabior half growled out at her, him and his group slowly advancing on her, "Does the name Zatora sound family to you.

Her eyes widened in shock briefly before she said, "Z – Zatora's a pretty name but it doesn't ring a bell."

"You're a horrible liar, Zatora." Scabior said. He lifted up the newspaper to show her. "This picture looks a lot like you and, judging from your face, your lying game just blew up on you."

Zatora turned to run only to find Fenrir Greyback standing right behind her. She screamed and tried to move out of his reach. Fenrir was quicker; he grabbed her roughly around the waist and spun her around so she was facing Scabior again. He smiled, watching her desperately struggle against Fenrir's hold.

"You know what, Zatora?" Scabior said, playing with her hair. "You are extremely beautiful."

Fenrir growled at Scabior's movement, "I caught her, Scabior, I've got dibs on her."

Scabior glared at him, "I'm in charge of this group. Besides, we have orders not to do anything to her. Bring her to Him in one piece, remember?"

"Bring me where?" Zatora asked, trying to hide her fear. All she wanted was her wand; her wand, though, was back in the tent, safely in her bag. How could she be so stupid? After all those lessons with Harry and she still didn't carry her wand with her everywhere? Stupid, so stupid….

"We're taking you to your father." Scabior said softly, pulling a blindfold out of his picket. "He's just dying to meet his only daughter."

With that they blindfolded her before apparating. The second her feet hit the ground, Zatora tried to pull away again. Fenrir tightened his hold on her, dragging her along as they moved. She could hear Scabior talking to someone as they came to an abrupt halt. A woman, whispering, she sounded intrigued and pleased. Then a swishing sound of a wand and they were moving once more.

With every step she could feel fear pounding through her veins. She didn't want to meet her father, or for that matter, have anything to do with Him. Her heart was beating furiously against her chest and in her throat. Zatora was positive if her heart beat any faster it would simply stop beating altogether.

Suddenly she was forced to stop and the blindfold was roughly taken off her. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting from complete darkness to the new light of the room she was in. As her eyes adjusted she gasped slightly as she saw a dark haired woman. Her hair was long and messy, too slender due to the many years she'd spent in Azkaban. It was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Ah, I see you know Bellatrix." A voice said from behind her.

Zatora whipped around, this time she screamed as she found herself face to face with the man who was her father. He certainly didn't look like a man; those red eyes stared at her and his slit nostrils flared. Perhaps he could smell her fear, for he took a step towards her. Petrified, all she could do was stand there, unable to force her feet to move away. His red eyes took in her appearance, searching her, testing how much she could handle.

"Extraordinary how much you look like your mother." Voldemort whispered, almost sounding like a hiss. "Yet you have many of my features – from when I was younger. What magical ability do you possess – can you understand me?"

Zatora gazed at him before slowly nodding.

"Ah – you received my talents. Nagini, you may go." Voldemort said, and a large snake slithered out of the room. He moved to take another step towards her –

"Stay away from me!" Zatora said quickly, surprised that she still had a voice.

There was silence that followed her words. Voldemort merely watched her with those blood red eyes. Then he took a step back, to Zatora's great surprise, and fingered his wand between his hands. "I apologize, you hardly know me," Voldemort began. "I'm assuming you know how we're related?"

"Yes – I know you're my father." Zatora said softly. "I don't care how we're related, though; I want nothing to do with you."

"That's no way to speak to your father!" Bellatrix hissed in her ear.

Zatora jumped slightly at this. Bellatrix merely ignored her and moved to stand next to her master. "Bellatrix is right," Voldemort said quietly. "You should treat me with a bit more respect."

She looked away from the two of them, recalling the last time she'd heard the word respect. It had been when she'd told her adoptive parents about Blaise. They'd told her, in a letter, that they respected her decision, that he was a good young man from what she'd told them about him. In return for their acceptance, she was to continue to respect their rules on dating. Zatora honored her parents because they were good people who loved her. They'd never do anything to hurt her or anyone else.

"That's much better." Voldemort said, "A submissive daughter is much better than one reacting on lies that Dumbledore, Harry, and her so called guardians have told her about me. They don't know anything about power of what's best for you. I do, though – I can give you anything you want, if you join my ranks."

Zatora continued to stare at the ground. Voldemort had hurt so many people. She thought of all the missing people, families torn apart, countless names of those who had died. Harry crossed her mind – he'd lost so much because of the man in front of her. Hermione and Ron also swam into her mind, along with her other friends. Her own family – her brothers and her parents….

"I'll give you everything you could ever dream of wanting, Zatora…. I could give you the family that you've never really have. We are, after all, family…." Voldemort hissed.

"You – you can't!" Zatora said softly.

"What?"

"You can't give me what I want." Zatora said, lifting her gaze to glare at Him. "I want to be loved and you can't give that to me. You don't love me at all; you don't know how to love. If you knew how to love, you would never do what you're doing now to people!"

Voldemort stared at her, "You're very much like your mother. She said the same thing before I killed her."

Zatora's eyes widened slightly, "You – you killed her?"

"Yes, nearly seventeen years ago. I didn't love her – I never did. She was just another prize I managed to obtain for a short amount of time. Vanessa was the best in her year; I lusted after her, like every other boy in Hogwarts."

"You're horrible."

Voldemort smirked, "Indeed, but it's no matter now. What I want to know is if you'll join me?"

"I already told you, I never want to have anything to do with you!" Zatora responded defiantly.

"What a shame," Voldemort whispered back. "I guess this means we have to do this the hard way. Where exactly is Harry Potter?"

Zatora was silent; she'd never tell him the answer to that question.

"Ah, now we answer with silence? Bellatrix, feel free to jump in whenever you like. _Crucio!_"

She fell to the ground in the worst pain imaginable. Zatora screamed, wishing it would end. The pain was inside of her body, as if hurting her from the inside out. The pain was almost so strong that it was blinding her. Surely death would be more compassionate than the pain she was being forced to endure….

The spell lifted and Voldemort asked once again, "Where is Harry Potter? You were last seen in public with him, now where is he?"

This time they didn't even give her time to respond. Both Bellatrix and Voldemort raised their wand and the pain returned, this time much worse than before. She screamed the sound reverberating off the walls. The pain was indescribable; like hot knifes poking out of her skin, inside of her body. She closed her eyes, wishing it would end. It seemed to go on for ages, the pair of them questioning her, receiving only silence, and then endless pain as they tortured her. Just when Zatora felt she couldn't handle the pain any longer, that she was going to cave in – giving them the information they so desired, the pain stopped. All she could was lie on that floor, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks, her throat raw from her screams, and agonizing tremors running down her spine.

"I think, to get you to talk, we should take this to a new level." Voldemort said from above her. "Let's find out how much you are about your family. Bellatrix, send an owl to Severus. Tell him he is to fetch David Varner and that he is to be sent to our hid out."

Bellatrix smiled, "As you wish."

Zatora felt her world crumbling around her. It was a choice between her younger brother and the boy she was starting to fall in love with. She couldn't hold back her small sobs as the full weight of her decision hit her. She felt numb; the choice really wasn't fair but it was so easy for her to make. She'd do anything for her family. The sound of Bellatrix's shoes crossing the hall rang in her ears – it was now or never.

"Wait!" Zatora cried out desperately.

The footsteps stopped and the only sound left was Zatora's sobs as she cried on the floor.

"If you won't speak, Bellatrix might as well leave–"

"No – no, I'll tell you what you want! Please – please don't hurt David."

"Where is Harry Potter?" Voldemort asked again.

"We – we had a camp, set up on the shore line – by the river." Zatora gasped out, still trembling with pain. "That was the last time I saw him – at the camp site. I'm sorry – just please, don't hurt David. Whatever you do, just don't hurt him."

"Very good; Bellatrix," Voldemort said, "take Zatora down to the cellar, she's of no more use to me. Consider her another torture object. Tell our Snatchers, while you're at it, to go back to where they found Zatora. They are to search by the river – if they can't find Harry Potter, they will remain there. He might return there, even if he has left already."

Bellatrix's footsteps came closer and stopped when she reached Zatora. Suddenly she found herself off the ground and back on her feet. She let herself be dragged out of the room, into a large hallway. From there, the pair went down a flight of stairs to an iron door. Bellatrix pulled out her wand and opened the gate magically. She then threw Zatora inside roughly so she fell to the ground. The door clanged shut behind her and Bellatrix's retreating footsteps faded away.

Zatora felt cold with numbing hopelessness. A sob escaped her lips as she pushed herself up into a kneeling position. She felt horrible about doing that to Harry but David was her brother. She felt so alone; but then again, she was alone in this darkness of the cellar. She cried softly, holding herself, wishing the pain would go away.

"Zatora – Zatora Varner?" A soft voice asked from somewhere to her right.

She abruptly stopped crying. Zatora wasn't alone in the cellar.

**And that is where I leave you! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! So many emotions in this chapter – I feel a bit drained. Don't worry, 28 is in the works already – halfway written. Be on the lookout and let me know your thoughts on this chapter (and on the new book cover image I did for the story)!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	28. Day of Darkness

Chapter 28 –Day of Darkness

**I'm really sorry I haven't updated in ages. I meant to do this all during my Christmas break from school and then I caught a bad sinus infection, went three days without the desire to eat, drink, or do anything, before I was put on heavy antibiotics and forced to eat. Then school started up and for some reason I feel like every week is like finals week….. I also had family in and out of the hospital at the end of last year. It's been really rough – so writing kind of took the back burner. I'm really sorry. **

**However, I'm still writing and I plan on typing up another chapter later this week. I'm not giving up in finishing this story. It will get finished; I'm determined! Enjoy the chapter and thank you for your patience and understanding!**

"It's alright, Zatora, I won't hurt you." The voice said, this time closer to her.

"Mr. – Mr. Ollivander?" Zatora asked slowly, turning to look at him.

In the little lighting, she could just barely make the man out. His white hair was longer than she remembered and he looked frail from lack of care. He'd been thin when she'd last seen him but now his shirt seemed to be drowning him. It was very shocking, but he did seem well enough.

"Yes, it's me." He said, "Come, I'm sitting against the wall in the shadows for a reason. They sometimes tortured me through the bars. I learned quickly to sit where they can't seem me."

Zatora carefully moved to sit next to him against the wall, out of the light from the stairwell. She couldn't believe she was sitting next to Mr. Ollivander. "Have you been here since last September?"

"Yes," Mr. Ollivander whispered back. "I've been here for a while. There's a rock I use to keep track of days. It's November, yes?"

Zatora nodded, "Yeah, late November."

"There are a few things I should warn you about. Usually they send someone to bring food in the mornings and evenings. It is better to keep quiet most of the time; it will hold back being tortured. Silence is better than noise." Mr. Ollivander said.

"We don't have to be completely silent," Zatora said softly. "You've been alone and silent for a really long time... Why don't you talk to me?"

Mr. Ollivander looked over at her, "You really want to listen – get to know me?"

"Yeah," Zatora said with a small smile, "I'm not going anywhere. Did you go to Hogwarts and, if yes, what house were you in?"

"I went to Hogwarts and I was a Ravenclaw…."

* * *

They had nothing but time; their nights and days blurred into almost nonexistence. This wasn't helped by the fact that sleeping was rather irregular. If one of them got tortured in the morning, sleep was inevitable in the afternoon. Of course, that all depended on how long they were tortured for. Some sessions with the Cruciatus Curse were worse than others.

When they weren't resting or eating, the pair would whisper quietly amongst themselves. Mr. Ollivander told her about his life and anything of interest he'd learned from his time in the cellar. In exchange, Zatora filled him in on anything he'd missed in the last year. They grew rather close; she had to admit, she'd never known her real grandparents, but she imagined it was like knowing Mr. Ollivander. It was an unspoken agreement – they had adopted each other.

The only interesting, and out of the ordinary, thing that happened was yet another prisoner's arrival. They could hear Bellatrix laughing upstairs and then the screams of someone under the Cruciatus Curse. Zatora looked over at Mr. Ollivander and mouthed, "Another prisoner?"

Mr. Ollivander pressed a finger to his lips, a signal for her to stay quiet. The screams stopped and then there were two sets of footsteps coming down to the cellar. He quickly motioned for her to join him in the shadows, which she obeyed quickly. The door clanged open and a girl with long, blonde, wavy hair was thrown inside. "Do enjoy your stay in Malfoy Manor," Bellatrix laughed as she locked the door. She then left, still cackling away wildly.

Zatora looked from the girl to Mr. Ollivander, who didn't appear to be up to moving. She pushed herself to her feet while whispering, so the girl could hear her, "I'm sorry you had to endure her – she's horrible."

The girl sat up and looked directly at her, "You're Z-Zatora Varner, right? Is that Mr. Ollivander, too?"

"Yes."

"This'll be lovely, all of us together," the girl said, "I'm Luna, by the way, Luna Lovegood."

Mr. Ollivander looked up at Zatora with an odd look before turning his gaze back to Luna. "What do you mean, lovely?"

"Well – at least we're not alone. We're all together."

Zatora smiled for the first time in days, "Yeah, we do have each other. Come join us over here, Luna. It's not exactly a tea party, but we'd love to get to know you."

Zatora sat back down and Luna came to sit next to her. "I'm not really fond of tea," she said in a dreamy voice, "I prefer Hot Choco."

Zatora laughed softly, "Me too, Luna."

* * *

Days blended into weeks, which swept away into months. It was difficult to keep track of time, in the darkness of the cellar. Zatora was almost reminded of how dreadful her time at the Orphanage had been. Then again, at least there she'd had a bed, warm food, and was allowed to roam free. Here, however, was much worse compared to that horrible Orphanage.

The more she thought about the situation, the more Zatora had to admit that it wasn't as bad as it could be. At least she'd made two wonderful friends, whom she'd never have gotten to know if she hadn't come here. She cared about them a lot; they were very unique and special.

What she hated most was watching and hearing the others getting tortured. It was horrible to hear the screams week after week, whenever Bellatrix was bored and wanted a play thing. The worst one to hear, hands down, was Mr. Ollivander. He was getting on in years, his body not as young as it used to be, and after every session of pain he seemed to be growing weaker.

One day, after a particularly long torture, Mr. Ollivander slept for a whole day. Luna was sitting next to him, watching Zatora pace. She had had enough. It was wrong for them to be tortured when they had nothing left to give.

Mr. Ollivander stirred and asked, "H-how long have I been sleeping?"

Zatora stopped pacing, exchanging a relieved look with Luna. "You've been out for a while."

"We saved you some food," Luna said, offering him some bread.

"Thank you." Mr. Ollivander responded weakly.

Zatora watched him eat for a second. For the past several weeks, she'd been using a rock and the floor to come up with an escape plan. It was in her own dark corner of the cellar that she'd discovered. The other two didn't know she'd been planning a way to help them. Perhaps it was time to share her plans….

"I – I want to tell the two of your something."

Luna and Mr. Ollivander looked up at her, intrigued by her statement.

She took a deep breathe, "Well, I feel – it's time we stood up for ourselves. I'm so sick of letting them think they've won control over us. I'm tired of letting my – my father and his Death Eaters believe that they own me. And I'm definitely fed up with listening to you two getting tortured."

Luna smiled sadly, "We don't like it either, Zatora. There's nothing we can do though."

"No – there is something we can do. We can take a stand; we can get out of here."

"This is madness," Mr. Ollivander said, "Zatora, we're magically locked in here – there's no way out."

Zatora shook her head, "Then I want to make up a plan to escape. I'm not going to let them think that they've won; I'm not!"

They stared at her as she looked back down at them; they looked lost for words.

"Look at us!" Zatora said urgently, "We're letting You-Know-Who run our lives with fear. It's not right what they're doing to us. If we don't stand up for ourselves, then who will? Harry's out there right now, fighting for what's right. If he can do it, why can't we? It's the least we could do to show our support. As long as I'm still breathing, I won't allow them to run my life. I want it back in my own hands, where it belongs. I want to fight because it's the right thing to do, because this isn't happiness; this is misery.

"Listen to me before you make a decision. We're ten times stronger than what they think we are. We're always getting tortured and yet we always get back up for more. The thing is we're stronger because we've got each other. If we make a stand together, they don't stand a chance." Zatora said fiercely.

Mr. Ollivander glanced at Luna, "You're right, Zatora. We probably are stronger than they are…. What do you have in mind?"

Zatora smiled at them, "I have something to show you."

She led the way as Luna helped Mr. Ollivander get to his feet and over to the corner Zatora had been working on. She pointed out her rock drawn sketches of the inside of Malfoy Manor (or at least the places they knew of. "I – I'm not entirely sure how accurate some of this is, but I've tried my best."

Luna gazed at the drawings in awe, "They're really good, Zatora, not to mention very accurate."

"Thank you," Zatora said. "I've drawn out a tentative map and then drawn the torture room out in detail. Malfoy Manor is surrounded by hedges and then they have a gate, which is opened by magic. I think we should escape the back way, steal Pettigrew's wand, and blast our way out. It makes the most sense."

"How are we going to get his wand?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"We could lure him in – make a scene." Luna said thoughtfully.

"That's a great idea, Luna." Zatora said, "We can hid in the shadows and then once he's inside ambush him."

"This is insane," Mr. Ollivander said, "but it just might work if we polish our plans a bit more…."

* * *

They'd been planning for weeks. Through a combination of luck and good ears, the three had learned that Draco would be picked up from Kings Cross for Spring break today. It was their only chance to escape without much of a fight. Currently, Zatora, Luna, and Mr. Ollivander were listening for a sound from upstairs. A signal that the Malfoy's had left to get their son.

Somewhere above them, a door was loudly opened and shut.

"Alright," Zatora said, "it's time. I promise that, no matter what happens, I'm going to get the both of you out of her."

Mr. Ollivander nodded to Luna, "Let's get step one in motion."

Luna nodded, took a deep breathe, and then began to scream as loudly as she could she threw in some random words that made hardly any sense. It wasn't long before Pettigrew could be heard coming down the steps. "Quiet, be quiet!" Pettigrew yelled when he got to the door, gazing in but seeing no one.

Luna continued to scream as if her life depended on it….. Then, quite suddenly, she fell silent.

Pet gazed in through the bars, "What's going on in there?"

Silence.

"I – I'm coming in now; stay back, I'm armed!"

He unlocked the door, moving into the cellar. His wand was raised as he stared hopelessly into the darkness. Peter was trembling slightly as only darkness and silence pressed in on him. "Wh – where are you? Show yourselves!" Pettigrew said with little confidence.

Zatora shot out of the darkness and punched him with all of her might. Pettigrew fell to the ground from the force, hitting the stone floor hard. The other two came out of the shadows as Zatora took his wand. He looked to be unconscious.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Zatora said.

Luna was on the first few steps, Mr. Ollivander at the door, nodding in agreement. Zatora moved to join them when suddenly a hand grabbed her right ankle and twisted her leg so that she fell. She screamed as Peter Pettigrew climbed on top of her pinning her down. Desperately she struggled, trying to free herself, but his weight was too much. The wand clutched in her hand was roughly taken away.

"You're going to die, foolish little girl."

From out of nowhere, Mr. Ollivander knocked Pettigrew off of her. She scrambled to her feet, joining Luna at the door. Turning, Zatora watched as Mr. Ollivander fought Wormtail with his bare hands. It was strength she'd never seen before from the old wand maker. Pettigrew struggled so hard that he lost grip of his own wand. It rolled away, into the darkness of the cellar. Zatora moved to go after it.

"No!" Mr. Ollivander shouted, "No – Zatora; take Luna and get yourselves out!"

Zatora froze, "What – no! I'm not leaving you!"

Mr. Ollivander continued to fight with Peter before saying, "Please, Zatora, you're wasting time! They could come back any minute."

She felt torn between Luna and Mr. Ollivander. All she needed was the wand and she could help him. Zatora gazed helplessly into the darkness but it was useless and it would be just her luck if she stepped on it. The wand maker was right, though, they were wasting time….

With a last, fleeting look at Mr. Ollivander, she turned and went to Luna. "Come on, we have to go."

"What about Mr. Ollivander?" Luna asked.

"He'll – he'll catch up with us – come on!" Zatora said, leading the way up the stairs.

Luna obliged and together the girls rushed up the cellar stairs. When they reached the top they came to a large landing. The stone floor gleamed under their feet as they walked out into the hall. A grand staircase was to their left, and several doors were lined around the room. Zatora knew that ahead of them, the door led to a sitting room, or library of some sorts. It was the room they were normally tortured in.

Luna gazed around, "The Malfoy's do have a very beautiful Manor."

"Yeah," Zatora said, looking to her right. A set of double doors met her gaze. "I – I think those doors have to be the ones that lead to outside."

Luna nodded, "I think you're right. Come on, let's get–"

She stopped mid-sentence as the door handle turned, the door began to pen, voices floating in through the crack. Horrified, Zatora grabbed Luna's arm and motioned her towards the stairs. She pressed a finger to her lips signaling to be quiet, as she rushed as quietly as possible to the foot of the staircase. The voices were loud as the door continued to open; one-quarter of the way up the stairs.

Now bodies were entering the hall; the two girls kept moving silently – half way, nearly half way to the top.

Suddenly only the sound of their footsteps; both girls froze, three quarters of the way to the landing, to turn to look behind them.

Below them was the Malfoy family and Bellatrix, all starring up at them in complete shock. They looked so perplexed to find their prisoners out of their cellar. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion to Zatora. Bellatrix's face contorted in rage as four wands flew to at the ready. Zatora grabbed Luna's arm before exclaiming, "Run!"

She raced to the top of the stairs, Luna ducked right behind a pillar and Zatora, narrowly dodging a stunning jinx, went left.

"I want them caught – NOW!" Bellatrix shouted.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs rang in their ears.

"Go – just go! Find a way out!" Zatora said to Luna before starting to run down her hall.

Zatora ran as quickly as possible, following the hall until the landing was out of sight. She followed the hall as it turned left, feeling horrible as she thought of Luna. All she could cling to was, the hope that Harry had taught Luna well from her time in the D.A. Her feet carried her up a small flight of stairs, her head spinning as she ran as fast as she could. She gasped as she ran straight into a dead end. Desperately she turned in a full circle, seeing the many doors leading off the hall.

Suddenly, and the sound didn't help her feel any better, the sound of a set of faint, running footsteps, coming in her direction, met her ears. Panicking, she ran to the door at the end of the hall, slipped inside, and quietly shut the door.

Instantly, when she looked around, she thought of Draco. The room was, to put it bluntly, flawless. It was neat and tidy; a large, four-poster bed lay in front of her, sheets clean pressed. Black seemed to be a dominant color as the dresser, closet, bed, beside tables, desk, chairs, and bookcase were of that color. Beyond the bed she could see a large double door, leading to a balcony. The walls were void of pictures, except a large Slytherin banner at the head of the bed.

Quickly Zatora ran to the balcony doors, threw them wide, and ran to the edge. She gasped as she looked down to see at least a twenty foot drop. Almost desperate with hope of escape, she thought about jumping. Then, she reminded herself that she'd be dead and she was no use to the others of she died. Slowly she backed away from the balcony and returned into the room.

Zatora whipped around as she heard a door slam shut nearby. She had to hide; it was her only option left. Stealthily she went over to the closet, squeezed inside (grateful that she was so slender), and shut the closet door. With care she moved to the back, hiding herself in the shadows.

The room door creaked open. Floor boards groaning as someone crossed the room to the balcony doors; which she'd left wide open. Silence as the person paused and then the balcony doors were shut softly. The person was pacing and then a cold voice said.

"You're here, Zatora, I know you are."

It was Draco Malfoy.

She shifted quietly in her spot, remaining silent.

"Zatora I – I want to talk to you. Please, come out."

No; she wasn't going to fall for this. She wouldn't allow him to lure her out. Nothing he said or did could possibly make her move….

"They've already caught the Lovegood girl – Loony Luna." Draco scoffed. Zatora glared at the insulting nickname as Draco continued on, "You don't want to help her?"

How could she help her if she got caught? Zatora remained quite still.

"We really under estimated you – we didn't think you'd stay hidden once you heard the other girl was caught. Maybe you really are meant to be in Slytherin; only thinking of yourself. You're making us snakes proud, you know."

_Don't let it get to you – don't let it get to you!_

"Or perhaps you never intended to help them at all." Draco said coming closer to the closet. "Were you just using them for a way out of your prison? Either way, your usage of the other two as bait could be considered inspiring."

She shrank back into the wall as the closet door opened. He was going to find her. Draco roughly pushed aside articles of clothing. Zatora wished there was an invisibility cloak or that she'd simply blend into the wall.

Suddenly the clothes in front of her were split, blinding her with light as Zatora found herself face to face with Draco. He made to grab her arm–

"Why?"

Draco froze.

"What?"

"Why – why are you doing this, Draco? Zatora forced out.

Draco blinked, "You wouldn't understand – it's complicated."

"Complicated…. Meaning, you're scared of my dad? That's not complicated, that's fear and completely understandable. Look what he's done – anyone would be terrified of him."

"I have to do this Zatora," Draco stated automatically, "I have to turn you in."

"No, you don't. Draco, you don't have to do any of this. You're better than this – I know you are." Zatora pleaded with him.

"He'll kill me and my family if I help you."

"Then lie!" Say I was faster – that I escaped." Zatora tried to reason with him. "You can help me and the others…. I – I know you can."

Draco looked away from her as silence fell between them. Zatora could hear her heart beating in her ears as more footsteps from the hall grew ever nearer.

"Please – Draco; if you care about me at all…."

Tears sparkled in her eyes as Draco looked back at her. For a moment they merely stared at each other, lost for words. The footsteps were so close; any second now whoever it was would be in the room–

"Draco! Where are you?" Bellatrix shouted from nearby.

Zatora gazed at Draco as he flinched and she knew his decision was made.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered to her. He then raised his voice, "I'm in my room! I – I've got her."

Numb with disbelief, Zatora looked down at the ground. Bellatrix rushed inside, looking pleased at Draco's work. "Well done Draco," Bellatrix said softly, moving to stand next to him. She used her left hand to stroke his hair, fingering through his blonde locks. Her eyes found Zatora and she quickly grabbed her upper arm tightly and dragged her out of the room.

"You and your friends thought you could escape." Bellatrix hissed, "But you all failed – I know one of you took charge and the one who did will suffer for it."

Zatora didn't say anything but inside her fear was mounting. She didn't want the others to suffer for her plans. Before she knew it, they were walking into the room where they were usually tortured. Standing in the center of the room were Mr. Ollivander and Luna, both gazing down at the floor. Zatora was shoved towards them; quickly she moved to stand next to Mr. Ollivander as Bellatrix paced in front of them.

"How dare you." Bellatrix whispered. "How DARE you attempt to escape!" Her shout reverberating around the room; Zatora winced slightly as the sound lodged in her ears.

They remained silent.

"Now, who did those lovely drawings down in the basement?"

Zatora blinked a few times, glancing slightly at the others without looking up. Their expressions were emotionless; she didn't understand why they weren't worried. How could they be so clam?

"I asked you three who did those drawings – answer me, NOW!"

Still silence followed after Bellatrix spoke. Zatora breathed deeply, trying not to hyperventilate. If none of them spoke, maybe nothing bad would happen…..

"Fine, if you won't answer I'll force the answers from you." Bellatrix said coolly. "Let's start with the wand maker; I'm sure he draws out designs for his wands."

Zatora looked up sharply as Lucius Malfoy forced him forward. Mr. Ollivander didn't look up, but she could see him trembling slightly. Bellatrix raised her wand….

"No!"

Her voice echoed around the room from her outburst, but Zatora didn't care. She wouldn't watch him get tortured to his death.

All eyes were on her as she gazed determinedly at Bellatrix. She raised her eyebrows, "No? You dare to say I shouldn't torture him?"

"Yes – I don't think you should torture him because I – I drew the drawings in the basement." Zatora said, shaking slightly from fear. "I was the one who came up with the plan and took charge. The others simply followed my lead."

Bellatrix studied her for a minute before saying, "Pet, Draco! Take the wand maker and the Lovegood girl back down to the cellar. I have to teach the Dark Lord's daughter a lesson."

Draco and Pettigrew dragged Luna and Mr. Ollivander from the room. Luna struggled a bit, gazing helplessly at Zatora. Mr. Ollivander was also staring at her, but his gaze was different; it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. Zatora looked away from them as the door was shut behind them. She knew what was coming and it wasn't going to be nice.

"Now, let me make one thing very clear," Bellatrix said, advancing on her. "You had a choice to join us, to be on your Father's side. You chose to take your place in the cellar. If you wanted freedom, you should've joined us."

"I didn't do this for me," Zatora said, "I – I did this to help the others." She looked up at Bellatrix defiantly, "I know what I chose but I'm…. I'm not an object that you can play with. And I won't admit defeat because I made a much better choice to side with Harry. I hope – no – I know that when he wins you'll get what you deserve."

Bellatrix gave no warning before her wand flashed out and the pain she was all too familiar with returned. Zatora screamed; it was so much worse this time. She had struck a nerve and now she was paying the price for her words. The torture seemed to last much longer and her screams faded into silence. She felt disconnected from her body as pain coursed through every fiber of her skin, veins, and bones.

"STOP!"

Someone crossed the room quickly as the spell lifted. Zatora gasped, shuddering from the lingering effects of the curse. The person was leaning over her, but she couldn't make out who it was, her vision blurred from pain and her tears.

"Draco," Bellatrix said, "move – now!"

"No." Draco said above Zatora. "The – the Dark Lord said to take it easy on her."

There was a long pause.

"Fine, take her back to the cellar."

Draco helped Zatora up and walked her out of the room. Once the door shut behind them, he moved to pick her up.

"Don't – I…. don't need h-help." Zatora breathed out, her legs shaking badly beneath her.

He didn't answer or, for that matter, listen. Instead Draco scooped her up into his arms and carried her across the hall. Too weak to fight, she merely let him as a painful fog clouded her mind. When they reached the cellar, he carried her inside, took her to a shadow corner and laid her carefully on the ground. Without a word, he turned and quickly left.

The cellar door clanged shut.

Zatora didn't move, too weak to move at all. She listened, that was all she could do. After a while, she heard soft footsteps coming closer. A soft hand touched her shoulder, moving her hair out of her face.

"Zatora, I'm sorry." Luna whispered from the darkness. When she got no response she continued on, "We could come up with a different plan or–"

"No." Zatora said, forcing the word out.

It wasn't Luna who spoke next. "What are you saying, Zatora?" Mr. Ollivander asked from nearby.

"I – I'm done; I just want to give up. They've won, they broke me." Zatora said softly, a small tear falling down her cheek.

There was silence after her words. After a few moments, Luna said gently, "We'll let you rest, maybe you'll feel differently later."

* * *

Zatora didn't know how long she stayed there, curled up on the floor, drifting between consciousness and dreamless sleep. Days blurred once again, but this time it didn't feel like days but slow seconds ticking away. Slowly she felt the dark, painful fog lifting as she recuperated from her last session with Bellatrix.

Far away, perhaps she was dreaming, she heard the cellar door open. Bodies behind moved inside, footsteps shuffling on the floor, and heavy breathing sounded in her head. Then the cellar door was closed again with a loud clang. Voices, they sounded so familiar mingled with screams from above her. She could hear people struggling and to her surprise someone moved out of the shadows from close to her.

Another voice added to the din of distant screams and nearby yelling.

Zatora's eyes fluttered open, confused as she began to hear parts of the conversation.

"Oh goodness – these ropes are really tight. I'm going to need to cut them. Hold on, we have a rock somewhere…."

"Alright Luna." Someone replied; she knew that voice, but from where?

Zatora blinked again, the haze clouding her perception clearing slowly.

"Zatora are – are you awake?" Luna asked from behind her.

"Y – yes" Zatora said, surprised her voice sounded as strong as it did.

"Do you know where the stone is – the one we use to cut things with?"

"No – why?" Zatora said sitting up, feeling very alert now.

"We've got visitors, they're tied up…."

Screams from above.

"Hermione! Someone yelled, who sounded extraordinarily like Ron.

Luna looked at Zatora, "I'm going to go ask Mr. Ollivander. Why don't you see if you can help keep them calm?"

Zatora got to her feet, feeling wide awake and strong than she had after she'd been tortured so severely. The one who had yelled was now sobbing as she moved closer to them. Luna was bending over Mr. Ollivander urgently asking him where the stone was. Very hesitantly she moved closer to the large, tied up group of people.

"R – Ron? Is – is that you?"

The panicked sobbing abruptly stopped.

Ron did not answer, but rather another voice she knew very well.

"Zatora?"

It was Harry Potter.

**And this is where I leave you. The next chapter will be up hopefully later this week (I'm not going to make any promises, as school is resuming and I'm so busy with all the homework and extra activities, but I will try my best.**

**Once again, thank you for all of your kind and helpful reviews. I read every single one of them and they really are what keep me going. I couldn't do this without your support and I really do appreciate you all for sticking with me as I tell this fanfiction. Thank you for your encouragement and I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


	29. Failed Escape

Chapter 29 –Failed Escape

**I apologize for this taking longer than I had intended. School has been really busy – just finished all of my finals though and I'm out for summer vacation. I can do some more writing! I'm so excited to finally be able to work on this story some more.**

**At any rate, here's the next chapter for you to enjoy. Thank you for your patience and I hope you're as excited about this chapter as I am!**

"Harry?" Zatora asked in disbelief, closing the distance between her and Harry's voice. She knelt beside the large group.

"Zatora! Are you alright?" Harry asked her, sounding concerned. "I had no idea you were being kept here."

"I'm fine, what about you? Who else is with you?"

"I can't see very well – stinging jinx for a disguise. Ron's here to my right, Dean Thomas and Griphook I think. Hermione's–"

He broke off as the screams resumed above them.

"Oh my goodness," Zatora gasped coming to the horrible realization of who was getting tortured. She turned to look at Luna, "Have you found the rock yet? We need to get them untied first."

"Just found it!" Luna said coming back over to them. Blindly she tried to cut the cords binding them together. Ron was struggling against the cords. In the dim light Zatora could make out the shadowy forms of a goblin and the curly-haired Dean Thomas.

"Ron, please hold still; I can't see and you're making this very difficult."

Ron sighed desperately and then suddenly he shot out, "Zatora, you've seen me use the Deluminator, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's in my pocket – get it and give Luna some light, please?" Ron asked her urgently.

Zatora swiftly moved in front of Ron and said, "Which pocket is it in?"

"My right front pocket."

Zatora found his pocket and dug inside it. Moments later she pulled out the Deluminator and quickly clicked it. At once, bright light flew from it and hovered above their heads. Ron smiled briefly before he said, "Thanks Zatora, that should make things easier."

"No problem, Ron." Zatora said, returned a small smile as well.

She moved back over in front of Harry, kneeling down on the ground. His face, now that she could see, was puffy. The skin looked stretched to accommodate the clever disguise. If she hadn't known it was him, she would've been completely clueless on who it was.

Harry smiled at her, attempting to take in her appearance with one eye. "I'm glad you're okay, Zatora. I'm so sorry."

Zatora stared at him, "What are you sorry for? You haven't done–"

"I'm sorry about the fight we had – before you got captured. I – I didn't mean any of it. You're nothing like Him." Harry said firmly.

"Thank you, but it's fine – you were upset and I didn't really help. Besides, it hasn't been that bad here."

"You're joking, right? He tortured you, Zatora!"

"How do you know that?" Zatora asked.

"I – your dad and I – we have this odd connection. It's complicated to explain in a short amount of time. Sometimes I dream about things he does."

"Oh," Zatora said, "I'm sorry – that must be horrible to see what he does."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "it is horrible. It was especially terrible watching you."

"I told you, I'm fine. It's really not a big deal."

Hermione's screams started up once again.

"No, it is a big deal, Zatora. If I hadn't yelled at you, you'd never have ended up here. I hurt you – almost worst then your own father did. There's no way I can ever take that back and I feel terrible about it. You've done nothing but try to be my friend, and when you were trying to be a good friend I pushed you away. I'm so sorry about that; I wish I hadn't done it."

In the moment Hermione's screams ceased Zatora took a hold of Harry's hand. He eyes soft, she whispered, "I forgive you Harry."

"Got it!" Luna said as the ropes came loose. She quickly moved the rope and got to her feet to help Dean and Griphook.

Zatora, still holding Harry's hand, helped Harry to his feet. Ron, upon being freed, rushed to the cellar door, yelling Hermione's name loudly. He yelled vigorously as she screamed above them. Zatora shuddered, trying to block out her memories of her own torture sessions. It would've been a relief to have someone screaming her name….

Harry grasped her hand tightly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah – just…. It's hard listening to someone getting tortured. It's like a reminder of what's happened to some of us."

Without warning Harry pulled her into his arms. Surprised, she slowly hugged him back. "It'll be okay," he said, silencing her fears, "we'll get out – together."

They separated; Harry still clasped her hand tightly in his own. To Zatora's left, Ollivander was making his way into the light. He looked concerned, "We need to stop Mr. Weasley – it won't help if he keeps yelling."

Luna rushed over to Ron, trying to keep him calm as he yelled between his own sobs.

"Ron – please calm down!"

"There has to be a way out! There – there just has to be…"

"There's no way out – they just put up more enchantments to keep us in here." Mr. Ollivander said, shaking his head sadly.

Zatora felt Harry's hand leave hers; she looked at him, surprised to see him pulling a mirror shard from his sock.

"Harry, what–"

"I'll explain later; I'm desperate." Harry said, gazing into the mirror.

Zatora didn't say anything but looked up and over to Dean and Griphook. Dean was gazing around the place, looking helpless. Griphook was still on the ground; he seemed to be almost unconscious. And then she heard something horrifying. Footsteps; coming down the stairs to the cellar.

"Luna! The light needs to go off. Someone's coming!" Zatora said urgently. She caught Harry straightening up, out of the corner of her eye. She looked over at him, but she couldn't read his face at all with it all skewed up.

"Ron – the light!" Luna said.

Ron clicked the put-outer and they were plunged into darkness as they all moved to the walls.

It was Wormtail who came into the light from the stairwell. He stopped at the door, his wand raised. "Where's the Goblin?" He asked trying to peer into the gloom. "His presence is requested upstairs."

Zatora turned her gaze to where Griphook was slowly getting to his feet. Without warning, Harry quickly left her side, kneeling down in front of the goblin. He was whispering to him urgently; Griphook's face was blank as he moved around Harry to the door. Wormtail opened it for him with his wand and soon the two were out of sight.

Ron sunk to the floor, looking defeated. Luna was helping Dean stay on his feet. Mr. Ollivander was ringing his hands, muttering under his breath. Zatora was still watching Harry; he got to his feet, his back still to the door, head bowed. She bit her bottom lip before walking over to him. "Harry, are you–"

A loud crack beside her made her scream and jump backwards. She covered her mouth with her hands as everyone turned to gaze to the new corner. It was lucky that Bellatrix's voice was so loud upstairs because his appearance would've been heard otherwise. They were all gazing down at a house-elf, with green, round eyes, and he looked as terrified as the rest of them. Ron clicked the put-outer and light danced in the room.

"Dobby! What are you doing here?" Harry asked stunned but smiling.

"Dobby has come to help, sir." Dobby explained in a squeaky voice. "Harry Potter can always count on Dobby, sir."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks before Harry continued talking to Dobby. "Can you apparate with more than one person?"

"Of course Dobby can!"

"Alright," Harry said, "we need to get Luna, Dean, Mr. Ollivander, and Zatora out of here. Could you take them to–"

"Shell Cottage." Ron cut in. Harry stared at him. "Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay; take them to Shell Cottage." Harry said, nodding to Ron.

Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander moved over to Dobby but Zatora didn't move. Harry turned to her, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not going… I – I don't want to leave you again."

"Zatora—"

"No, Harry; I want to help. Hermione's my friend too." Zatora said stubbornly.

Harry shook his head, "It's too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt…."

"I won't; I can take care of myself. Please – let me help you?" Zatora begged desperately.

Harry gazed at her intently, "Fine – you can stay and help."

Zatora smiled and nodded.

Harry turned to Dobby, "Okay, new plan. Take those three to Shell Cottage and then you'll come back for the rest of us.

Dobby nodded before he and the others vanished with a loud crack. The sound was loud and it echoed around the room, and there was no noise from upstairs.

A door upstairs slammed loudly and soon there were hurried footsteps on the stairs.

"Get in the shadows by the door." Harry hissed. Zatora hurried off to the left side while Ron and Harry rushed over to the right.

Wormtail was back at the door, peering into the darkness blindly. "Where are you? Come out, now!"

Zatora jumped slightly and looked over at Harry who was gazing at her with worried eyes. He shook his head slightly and Zatora understood. They were going to lure him in.

The door clicked open and she pressed herself against the wall, trying to disappear. The door opened in towards the right, which meant Wormtail was walking right past her. She shuddered, remembering his hands around her ankles, the weight of his body on top of her own. _Please don't let him notice me,_ Zatora thought to herself, trying to stay as quiet as possible for Harry's sake.

Wormtail was well past the door, looking around for any sight or sound of someone. She glanced over to Harry and Ron who were very slowly advancing.

"Now!" Harry suddenly yelled and they both charged into Wormtail.

It was a mess of two boys and a man rolling on the ground as they fought for the wand in Wormtail's hand. A jet of green shot out of the wand, narrowing missing Ron's head. Zatora hesitated for a moment before rushing forward, finding Wormtail's wand hand and stepping really hard on it. He let out a small outcry as his hand released the wand. She snatched it up and got back as the boys continued to fight.

"I – I've got his wand. What do you want me to do?" Zatora asked desperate for instructions.

"Stun him – anything!" Ron called just before Wormtail threw him off. He hit the wall hard and gasped for air, crumpled on the floor.

"Ron!" Zatora said, moving to help him up.

"Give me back my wand or he dies!" Wormtail suddenly said.

Ron and Zatora turned to look at Wormtail and Zatora gasped loudly. His silver hand had a firm grip around Harry's neck. As he smiled at the pair of them he squeezed around Harry's throat, making him gasp a bit. Zatora raised the wand, "Let him go!"

"That's not how this works, dearie." Wormtail said, squeezing a lit bit harder.

Harry gasped out again, but this time he forced himself to speak. "You – you owe me Worm-tail. I saved your l-ife. You owe me."

Wormtail gazed at him, shocked by what he had said. Then, he removed his glinting silver hand from around Harry's throat. What happened next almost made Zatora scream. The hand forced its way to his own throat. A look of shock and surprised as the hand began to squeeze the air way, causing him to struggle for breath. Zatora covered her mouth, seeing what was coming.

"No!" Harry cried out.

Ron rushed over to attempt to help Harry pry the silver hand away from Wormtail's throat, but it was no use. The hand continued to kill him of its own accord. His eyes looked as if they were about to pop as he gasped for any ounce of air, struggling like mad. Finally he lay quiet still, a last look of horror on his face. The hand around his throat fell limp and clanged on the stone floor when it hit the ground.

Zatora was shaking from head to foot; a part of her wanted to scream and another wanted to curl up a cry. Harry and Ron got up from the ground and, to her surprise, Harry crossed the distance to her. He pulled her shaking body close to his own.

"it's okay – we're okay." He whispered to her.

"I – I could have helped I just – I had his wand and I froze up." Zatora breathed out, her face buried in Harry's chest.

"It wouldn't have helped, that hand was working of its own accord." Harry said gently. "Come on – we need to help Hermione."

Zatora nodded, "Here, take his wand I – I don't want it."

Harry took it in his right hand and with his free one grabbed hers. Together they followed ron and hurried out of the cellar.

When they reached the first landing Zatora whispered, "We're going to need to take that staircase. They must be upstairs – they problem had in that big room where they used to torture us."

Without warning Ron was rushing for the staircase.

"Ron – wait! We need a plan!" Harry hissed, relinquishing Zatora's hand to go after him.

Zatora made to go after the pair of them –

Suddenly a hand grabbed her around the waist. "Ha–" she tried to call out before another hand closed around her mouth tightly. She struggled hopelessly for a few moments before a voice whispered in her ear, "One more move and you'll wish you were dead when I get through with you."

Zatora froze; she knew that voice. She felt him sniffing her hair and her neck.

She whimpered slightly as he dragged her into an empty room and pinned her up against a wall. Trembling, she gazed back at Fenrir Greyback, who was continuing to smell every inch of her. He finally stopped and smiled at her, "I've wanted you to myself for a very long time now. Your smell is ever so intoxicating."

"W – why?" Zatora asked, her voice shaking badly.

"Why? Because you're beautiful; and my wolf sense love everything about you. I also believe that I deserve you to myself. After all, you're the Dark Lord's daughter. You're like a reward of some sorts, for my hard work," Fenrir said, fingering a lock of her hair.

Zatora's mind reeled as the thought of Fenrir's lips ever touching hers. He was moving in, to kiss her neck when she said the first thing that came to her mind, "He'll punish you – my father. He'll get rid of you if you touch me."

Fenrir paused, "What do you know? You refused to join his side."

"True," Zatora said. To her horror he moved in towards her neck again and she said swiftly, "But I know he wouldn't want our blood line tainted!"

His lips were a breath away from her from pressing to her exposed neck when he paused this time. With her backed pressed flat against the wall behind her, her chest rose and fell rapidly as she waited. Slowly he pulled back to look at her, keeping her pinned against the wall. She blinked a few times, trying to avoid the impressed look he was giving her. She truly hated how he was looking at her, as if he was seeing her in a new light.

"Well, you're certainly your father's daughter." Fenrir spat at her.

She flinched, "What does that mean?"

"Your father doesn't care much for abnormal creatures either."

"I – I never said I agreed with him." Zatora said softly, "I was merely stating a fact."

He tilted his head to the side, now looking intrigued. "You certainly are strange, considering your parents. Sure, your mother was kind of like you, but she never stood up for herself. She lacked your spirit."

"You knew my mother?" Zatora blurted out.

"I knew of her, yes. She was genuinely a good woman in a horrible situation." Fenrir said, fingering another lock of her hair. "It's a shame she was so unruly after you were born; if she hadn't been she probably would've lived."

"She – she died?" Zatora asked, already knowing the truth but wanting to keep him talking and not kissing her.

"Yes – by your own father. He murdered her the night he found out she dropped you off at an orphanage. The Dark Lord was angered when she refused to say where she'd hidden you."

Zatora took a small, shuddering breath. "My own father killed my mother…. That's horrible."

"Yes, her parents were heart stricken with grief, you know. They discovered her dead in the street they lived on; she'd been trying to return to them."

"My grandparents are alive? They found their own daughter without knowing they had a granddaughter." Zatora asked, her eyes brimming with tears now.

"Well, there's no reason to be upset, in my opinion. They were reunited, just not in the way they would've liked. Besides, look at what she left – a helpless girl whose now all mine tonight." Fenrir said, moving in again to kiss her neck.

Zatora shut her eyes tightly, tensing up at the sudden movement.

"There you are, Fenrir. Bellatrix has wanted you upstairs to deal with – what are you doing?"

Zatora breathed deeply as Fenrir growled and pulled away once more. She opened her eyes and looked to her right to see Scabior as Fenrir said, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm dealing with an escaped prisoner. Now, get lost."

"She's off limits, you know that. Besides, what makes you think you'd get her?" Scabior asked, looking bemused.

"I've been here longer then you." Fenrir said, a growl working in the back of his throat.

Scabior laughed, "Yeah, which is why I've taken over your precious leader like spot."

"The Dark Lord never made you in charge!"

"No," Scabior said, "but he might as well make me in charge. I seem to keep calling the shots while you merely do the dirty work. If anyone gets Miss Zatora, it'd be me."

Fenrir, without warning, roughly threw Zatora behind him as he ran at Scabior. Zatora hit the ground hard, feeling the win knocked completely out of her. She gasped as she rolled painfully onto her side, clutching at her rib cage and wincing in agony. She could hear them snarling at each other, fighting like wolves as her body ached with pain. Chairs and furniture were being thrown around the room. Terrified, Zatora forced herself to move to the farthest chair in the room and hide, huddled, behind it. There was no way she'd get to the door, all she could do was pray that they wouldn't hurt her in the process of their violent fighting.

She had no idea what was happening, but there seemed to be less movement and only snarling. Somewhere above her, she heard a loud crash but the fighting behind her didn't stop – or perhaps it was because the snarling suddenly ceased. A heavy sniffing sound was coming ever closer to where she was hiding.

Suddenly the chair was thrown aside and she gasped as Fenrir rushed at her. Zatora tried to get to her feet, but her fall had weakened her and Fenrir lunged on top of her before she could get up. A scream escaped her lips as two loud cracks sounded upstairs. She sobbed helplessly, "Please – please don't do this."

Fenrir ignored her, his lips finally finding her neck. She cringed at the touch, trying to push him off her. "No – p-please – no!" Zatora cried out, as he continued to kiss her neck, moving down to her upper chest and shoulders. He hands were beginning to tear at her shirt –

The door to the room burst open. There was a flash of light and Fenrir flew off her. Desperately Zatora got to her feet and rushed over to the opposite side of the room as Bellatrix advanced on Fenrir. She walked up to him and hit him across the face. "What didn't you understand, Greyback, when the Dark Lord told you his daughter was not to be touched like in the slightest?"

"She's mine – I'll – I will have her!" Greyback growled, attempting to lunge at her again. Zatora cried, flinching against the wall, fearful tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt disgusted not only by the situation but also with herself, for not being stronger in fighting him off of her. She felt utterly defiled, even though nothing had happened.

"Enough!" Narcissa said sharply. "We have bigger problems. We summoned him and we managed to lose the Potter boy – yet again!"

Bellatrix glared at Scabior, who was starting to pull himself up off the ground, "Of course it was no thanks to you two mutts. Living with dogs who aren't even trained – disgraceful Death Eaters!"

"Well, maybe if you'd let us actually join we'd act better!" Scabior snapped, painful stretching the kinks out from his fight with Fenrir.

"Ha – and allow you to ruin everything again. Think again, werepup." Bellatrix snapped.

Zatora sank to the ground, her hands pressed tightly over her mouth to try to stop herself from crying. It was horrible to think about what could've happened if they hadn't shown up. She didn't want to think about how Fenrir could've defiled her. A few tears slipped down her cheeks as she shut her eyes tightly, wishing to just disappear.

They were all arguing but Zatora was hardly paying any attention. It was merely a blur of angry voice dancing in her brain. Once again, she'd failed to get away; yet another way she'd lost Harry. At least everyone else was safe. They'd be alright….. But would she?

The door burst open and Zatora looked up to see Voldemort walk into the room. He looked angry as strode to the center of the room. "You had better have a good excuse for calling me here! I was in the middle of something extremely important."

"My – my Lord!" Bellatrix said, for once looking nervous. "We – we had the boy."

"What do you mean you _**had**_ Potter? Where is he now?" Voldemort asked angrily.

"Please, my Lord, it wasn't our fault. If these two mutts would've helped us, we'd still have him."

"Liar!" Fenrir growled, "You had him, you lost him. Take blame for your actions like the—"

"Hold your tongue, Fenrir!" Voldemort shot at him. "You were instructed to follow her orders, were you not?"

"Yes, but—"

"Did she, Fenrir, ask for your help?"

"Yes, my Lord, but—"

"Then why were you not helping her keeping a hold of the Potter boy?" Voldemort asked angrily pulling out his wand and casting the Cruciatus Curse on Greyback.

He and Scabior were fighting over your daughter, my Lord." Lucius said softly.

Voldemort yelled with rage.

"How dare you attempt to mingle your filthy blood with that of mine! Disgraceful mongrels!"

Fenrir and Scabior were both screaming now. Zatora sobbed quietly against the wall, trying to block it all out.

Suddenly their screamed stopped and Zatora felt herself being pulled to her feet. She let out a small outcry as she was pulled towards the two by her own father. "Which one of you got farther with her?" He hissed at them.

Silence.

"Answer before she does or it will be worse what I do to you!"

Fenrir coward on the floor, "I did m-my Lord"

"You want her so badly, Fenrir?"

"I—"

"Answer me!"

"Y-yes, my Lord. Her scent is – lovely."

"Well, Fenrir, take a last good look because it's the last time you'll see her ever again. Draco, go lock her up in a spare bedroom. Greyback, here, needs to be taught a lesson about love and lust."

He shoved her over to Draco, who took her and led her out of the room. He guided her upstairs before he said in her ear, "I'm sorry, Zatora, I really am sorry all of that happened."

Zatora didn't answer but remained in silent tears.

They stopped in front of a door, which Draco opened and they slipped inside. He shut the door behind them. Zatora avoided his gaze as she walked further into the room. Draco didn't move, he merely watched as she turned to look at him.

"I truly am sorry." Draco said. "I'm going to have to lock you in here."

"I – I know. You have to do what you have to do."

"You – you understand?"

Very slowly Zatora nodded.

Draco made to move towards her but she took a step back.

"That wasn't an invitation that I wanted you. I was merely stating that I understand." Zatora said softly.

"I don't care about you that way anymore Zatora." Draco answered. "We're friends, nothing more."

"It took you six years to figure that out?"

Draco smiled slightly, "I feel a lot older now that I've been living in this hell."

A small smile flickered on Zatora's face briefly as she watched him leave. She heard the click as the door was locking from the outside. For a few seconds she simply stood there, staring at the wood door, keeping her locked away in Malfoy Manor. Then, with a small sob, she collapsed on the bed. She curled up in a ball, crying softly, and before she knew it, she'd fallen into a deep sleep.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm going to be writing more now that I'm in summer vacation, so be on the lookout for the next chapter! As always, your reviews and thoughts mean the world to me!**

**Hermione-Hermyown**


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